


After Chronicles

by BG_Character_592



Series: Chronicles [12]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Gen, Giant Robots, MST3k-Style Riffing, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:41:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 99,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29237739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BG_Character_592/pseuds/BG_Character_592
Summary: Yet *another* doujin finds its way to the Tumbleweed.So what do they do? They would certainly *like* to throw it out the window, but no they read it!
Relationships: Ayanami Rei/Nagisa Kaworu, Ikari Shinji/Souryuu Asuka Langley
Series: Chronicles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1203856
Kudos: 3





	1. After 01

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Advice and Trust](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/437662) by Panther2G. 



> This is the twelfth instalment of Chronicles, a continuation of Strypgia's Advice and Trust, published here with his consent, originally posted on Sufficient Velocity. It is recommended one reads Advice and Trust first, as many of the characterisations and events differ from what is considered canon to Evangelion.
> 
> While this story is a continuation of Advice and Trust, it's not set in its exact universe. This story diverges from Advice and Trust starting from Chapter 11.12 (on Sufficient Velocity).
> 
> This is a direct sequel to Chronicles: TNALJTI.
> 
> As usual for Chronicles, this story is rated Mature for sexual references, occasional violence and confronting scenes.
> 
> And yes, I know it's been a bit since I uploaded to AO3 :)

* * *

## 1\. Here We Go Again

The doujin was thunked onto the kitchen table, all four/six people sat around it.

"I'm sure we _all_ know what happened in the _last_ doujin we read."

"I'm sure _Mari_ does not." Thought Rei

"Well if she wants a reason to _dislike_ them, we _all_ died in the _last_ doujin we read." Asuka muttered. "They don't exactly have a great _pedigree_ with us."

"Maybe _this_ one will be different?"

"If anything, the cover looks more... _innocent_?" Thought Kaworu. "Hopefully that's a _good omen_."

"Elfen Lied _also_ had their cover be a character with little clothing." Rei noted. "Though I suppose you could be _more_ naked."

"I'm sure _you_ wouldn't mind, Rei." She huffed. "But yeah, I'm wearing a _shirt_. That's what I usually wear in the mornings anyway."

"You don't wear _Misato's_ necklace."

The four of them noticed this key detail of the cover.

"Well _that's_ already a bit of a black spot for her." The fish surmised.

"At least _you two_ might have a decent time in this." Rei giggled. "They _do_ call it the _Shinji and Asuka After Story_ , after all."

"Conveniently leaving _you two_ out." She snorted. "First _Misato_ said we should ease up a bit, now the _universe_ is saying it."

The four couldn't help but chuckle at this thought. "There's only been _one_ work where you two were _not_ an item. That's a statistical improbability, given the apparent _infinite_ permutations there should be."

"Bond's universe was also _fundamentally_ _different_ from our own world." Kaworu remarked. "All other worlds we have witnessed, they always had _some_ sort of link to our world as it is."

"Almost like it was _designed_ to get us in the opposite pairings."

Once more, the four laughed as they entertained this thought. "Does it really take _that_ much effort to get in opposite pairings? Cause _I_ don't think you two are _that_ bad."

Rei pointed to the title of the doujin. "It sure seems like _our_ universe likes pairing you two together." She huffed. "Which I cannot _fault_. _I_ like pairing you two together."

" _We_ like pairing you two together."

"Seems that damn _penguin_ likes it, as well." Asuka muttered. "Not like _I_ should complain, eh Shin-chan?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, if the universe _want_ us to be together, we really _shouldn't_ complain."

"You guys have a good way of _sticking it_ to the universe now, at least." In deadpan.

To which Asuka burst out laughing, having gotten the innuendo.

"So, shall we get started?"

Upon Rei's suggestion, the three nodded.

And so, the five of them started their read. _'You can join in if you want, Mari.'_

_'With how that..._ other _doujin you m-mentioned went, I might reserve m-myself for now.'_

A huff of melancholy. _'I can't fault you for that logic.'_

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives.

Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E)

** 2.1: You and Me **

_Never End_ **(Page 02)**

S: "Good to see we're _immediately_ getting started on the strange words."

R: "If anything, they are more _innocuous_."

K: "It's discussing how _good_ it is being with someone. That's certainly _better_ than most of the words we've seen."

E: "I'd call _that_ a good start, at least."

A: "Yeah, we might actually have a _chance_ this time around!"

... **(03)**

They turned to a _pink_ cover.

Asuka _snorted_. "If they wanted a _love story_ , they just had to look at _us_."

R: "It gets the hopes up, at the very least."

S: "Is that a particularly _wise_ thing, though?"

E: "A part of me wouldn't think _pink_ was the colour to use in order to convey a depressing setting."

K: "Perhaps they are trying to _lull_ us into a false sense of security."

... **(04)**

They _all_ laughed at the scenario in this 4koma. "Just like _we're_ doing now, eh Asuka?"

A: "I'm not _beating_ you for saying that kinda stuff, though."

E: "If _this_ is any sign, _you'll_ probably be blushing at whatever's in this."

K: "It _does_ show their love coming together." He prodded.

R: "I am sure it will be _very_ entertaining for us." She smirked. "Especially if _you_ continue to prod her like that, Shinji."

S: "It's only what I do on a daily basis." Chuckling.

Asuka couldn't help but give a slightly bashful smirk. "Which I _certainly_ don't mind. Good thing I've mostly _smoothed out_ my tsun, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "You know I like that _fire_ of yours."

A: "Heh. Idiot."

_One Story_ **(Page 05)**

K: "Well, I suppose _that_ is why they call it the _epilogue_ of Evangelion."

S: "So it's just like _Wolk's_ work?"

A: "That's not a particularly _good_ start, Shinji. The world's _already_ ended!"

E: "Amazing how it can _have_ this sort of light hearted nature to it."

R: "To be fair, even _Wolk's work_ had a somewhat light hearted tone to it."

S: "Bit of a _big_ somewhat."

A: "Yeah; we were able to carve out a comfortable life and have a kid and all that, but it was _still_ post-apocalyptic and just ourselves."

K: "We might be getting _more_ of that, then."

R: "Not that _I_ will complain." A huff of amusement. "I rather _enjoyed_ Wolk's work."

A: "So we once again have the _world_ to ourselves, eh?"

K: "I wouldn't call that a _bad_ thing."

S: "Would be better if we had _you two_ , of course."

E: "This sort of scenario has already _happened_ , I take?"

S: "You haven't read _Wolk's_ work, I take?"

Eliza as Rei shook her head. "Sounds like it was _alright_ , at least relative to _most_ works."

A: "It kinda _was_ , especially compared to _other_ works. But you bet we had to _work_ to get there."

... **(06, 07)**

E: "They're _really_ building this up as an epilogue, aren't they?"

S: "Even though you could say that of _most_ works we've seen."

A: "Not _Bond's_ work."

R: "Though since this _is_ an epilogue, in a similar situation to how _Wolk's_ work was, I doubt it will be _all_ sunshine and rainbows."

K: "Or maybe Pen-Pen has decided to smile on us for once."

Asuka barked a laugh. "You've seen the _last_ work that stupid penguin has thrown at us! I'll hold judgement until I've seen for myself."

... **(08)**

A: "Okay, we're _alone_."

S: "What are the chances people come _back_? They _could_ , after all."

R: "No one in _Wolk's_ work came back, other than _you two_."

E: "Out of all the billions of people on Earth, did no one _really_ desire to return to Earth?"

K: "The Earth _was_ pretty wrecked after Instrumentality, admittedly."

A: " _We_ did alright for ourselves, if I say so myself."

... **(09)**

R: "And it looks like you may do alright for yourselves _now_."

A: "I mean, we might as _well_. I would _not_ want to be alone after all _that_ shit happened to me."

S: "Even _normally_ , I don't like being alone."

E: "Companionship is wonderful, isn't it?"

A: "Took _us_ a long time to learn it, that's for sure."

K: "But once you came together, you practically _never_ parted."

A: "You _bet_." She smirked. "Then again, you could say that of _all_ of us."

R: "I am sure you two may have _someone_ else soon, much like _Wolk's_ work."

A bashful chuckle. "Well, if it _is_ the apocalypse, it's not like _protection_ would work for too long. That's _exactly_ how we ended up with Aki."

S: "Not like they would've been _made_ anymore."

E: "That's a pretty _adorable_ name, actually."

A: "Heh, we did a good job, didn't we?"

_AD 2015_ **(10, 11)**

A: "Okay, good start." Her sarcasm was evident.

E: "Starting with the _end_ , it seems."

K: "It _is_ an epilogue, after all."

S: "It's good to see even something as _seemingly_ innocuous as _this_ can _still_ have gory horror."

... **(12)**

R: "I doubt this is _actually_ me."

K: "Lilith, in all likelihood."

A: "So I'm not _dead_ , at least."

S: "Always a good start."

E: "Of course, it's difficult to even _say_ , once it reaches this point."

R: " _Technically_ , she is not dead."

A: "I mean, we've _seen_ my end in the _Laserdiscs_. I'd definitely call _that_ being pretty fuckin' dead."

Rei couldn't argue that. "Your _bodily_ self, perhaps. Much like in Bond's work, your soul was still... _fresh_ , for lack of a better word."

K: "And in all likelihood _when_ you return, you _and_ Shinji will have to deal with the mental fallout from all this."

... **(13)**

E: "This is the same as the Laserdiscs, at least."

S: "That's not a _good_ thing. It shows how _screwed up_ I was to consider _that_ the best option."

K: "And yet, _you_ still hold your individuality, Asuka."

R: "It shows her _will_ to live."

A: "I mean, I _was_ the only other person to return with Shinji. That counts for a _lot_ , I'd think."

E: " _I_ certainly know you don't mind _intermingling_ with one another."

Asuka snorted. "With one another, yeah. With _all_ of humanity is a whole 'nother thing, though."

R: "Shinji eventually thought the same way."

S: "A shame I only found that out _after_ I popped humanity like they were _balloons_."

... **(14)**

Rei couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. "At least _you_ are making the most of it, Asuka."

K: "Perhaps not being able to see _Shinji_ will be a _dealbreaker_ , however."

A: "It probably _will_. Even in the _Laserdiscs_ , it was obvious I loved you, Shinji."

S: "Kinda a shame _neither_ of us could spit it out, eh?"

E: "It only resulted in the _end of the world_."

R: "That might as well be the universe telling Shinji and Asuka to get together."

A: "What, Shinji and I didn't get together, so that damned penguin held a _tantrum_ and made our lives _more_ miserable than what was usual?"

K: "We can't argue your lives are certainly _better_ , with one another." He chuckled. "Perhaps the penguin has a point."

_Decision_ **(Page 15)**

E: "So you _made_ that world, and then decided it wasn't for you?"

S: "I've always been a bit indecisive."

A: "It _is_ a pretty big thing to change your mind about, admittedly."

K: "This would've been when _you_ decided to _return_ with him, then."

R: "If you wanted to _be_ with him. _Despite_ the ending of the world."

S: "And _despite_ the fact you could see _anyone_ in that place."

A: "You know how much I _love_ you, Shinji." A smirk. "I'd follow wherever _you_ went, even as I was I'd do that."

K: "No better time to start than the end of the world." A wry remark.

A: "Not like there's much _else_."

... **(16)**

K: "And _there_ is that decision."

S: "Good to see you calling me an idiot for that." Scratching the back of his head.

A: "Heh, seems I still have quite a bit of my _tsun_."

E: "It's _very_ obvious you love him."

A: "Oh I know; the thing with _tsundere's_ is that it takes quite a bit to get through whatever _masks_ we wear."

R: "But once you _do_." With a warm smile.

A: "Plus, _my_ tsun came from the fact I had a _God awful_ childhood, and decided then and there to _never_ rely on others. And look where _that_ got me."

K: "The end of the world."

Asuka nodded. "A good thing we were able to learn that _before_ the universe took such desperate measures."

... **(17)**

R: "...Of course, _I_ cannot return."

K: "You are _Lilith_ , after all. It would be your duty to remain, to watch over the Lilim."

R: "Indeed. As it was with the Laserdiscs."

Asuka gave a small huff. "At least _you_ get to be with Kaworu, since _his_ soul is still there I'd think."

K: "I'm sure it is. I _also_ appeared during Instrumentality, after all."

S: "Of course, you didn't have the _greatest_ relationship in the Laserdiscs."

E: "Did they have _any_?"

K: "Rei helped kill me, which I suppose you _could_ call a relationship of sorts."

A: "Yeah but she's been telling that to you ever since you first met. That might as well be an _endearment_ , at this point."

R: "Not _actually_ killing him, mind you. Merely _threatening_."

E: "I think it gets him off, anyway."

R: "Oh it _does_." A flat look.

K: "I called it my _Lilim urges_ , didn't I?" A huff. "And now _Mari's_ asking questions."

The group all snickered at this.

... **(18)**

R: "...At least we _made up_." She gave a small smile.

A: "Got _that_ going for us, eh?"

K: "No better time like the end of the world."

S: " _Both_ of you kinda look adorable in this, y'know."

Both of them couldn't help but blush.

E: "So... this will be when you _part_?"

A: "It sure _looks_ like it. Though at least I've taken all that happened to _heart_."

R: "You _are_ a bit less..."

A: "Caustic, I know." She chuckled. "It's almost like the end of the world makes you _rethink_ a few things, eh?"

_Return_ **(Page 19)**

A: "I'm sure we could've worked _something_ out, Rei."

R: "As I discussed before, I would _have_ to stay."

E: "But you _do_ have Kaworu, I would think. Despite your apparent lack of a _decent_ relationship."

K: "I'm sure we'd have a _lot_ of time to make up."

Rei huffed. "You are right about _that_."

S: "...Looks like it _will_ just be us again, eh?"

A: "Not _so_ bad; at least we have _each other_. Would've been nice if _Rei_ could join us, but I guess that's why it's called the _Shinji and Asuka After Story_." She shrugged.

K: "I'm sure if Rei _was_ involved, it would've been called the _Israfel Special_ After Story."

The lot snickered. "Is _that_ what you guys called it?"

A: "Before _Kaworu_ got involved with us, yeah. Nowadays it's the _Tumbleweed_." Smirking.

... **(20)**

E: "...Referring to _yourself_ , isn't it."

A: "It only _took_ the end of the world for me to spit it out." A huff.

R: "At least you _did_. Better than _never_ being able to say it, I would think."

S: "...Which seems to have happened more often than not."

K: "One of the tragedies of the Laserdiscs. It was really the _lack_ of communication that did us all in."

A: "Well, _we_ certainly learnt the value of communication early on, didn't we?"

E: "Especially with the _loins_ , it seems."

A: "Oi, we've been pretty _good_ since Misato talked to me." She huffed. "I haven't even done it with _Shinji_ since then."

S: "Sharing a room with Rei and Kaworu has helped us _not_ do that, hasn't it."

A: "That's one of the _intentions_ , Shin-chan!" Poking his arm. "Since there's _more_ to love than spreading your legs for someone."

... **(21)**

A: "...Y'know, I probably should've _questioned_ why we weren't all _naked_ in that Instrumentality."

E: "Maybe because you would've _complained_ about it." She wryly remarked.

A: "Oh I _would've_ , but as Rei says, not like you bring _clothing_ with you when you're just a soul."

R: "Indeed, not like one would even _notice_ in such an environment."

K: "Considering _no one here_ noticed such thing during the Instrumentality of Rogue-00."

S: "Hell, even with _synchronising_ in a NACSS, you're pretty much _nude_."

A: "Not that _you_ complain."

S: "I barely even see _you_ complain about it." Flat.

K: "Perhaps Lilith _listened_ to that petition to clothe souls."

They snickered, as they recalled this discussion.

R: "I am sure finding _Shinji_ will be easy enough, at least."

A: "I was dropped right _next_ to him, wasn't I?"

E: "That _does_ sound easy."

~

**(Page 22)**

"At least it's _also_ easy to determine the 'chapters' in this." Mused Kaworu. "So, first impressions?"

"It's a good _start_ , admittedly." Shinji thought. "We haven't had anything _violent_ happen to us, at least."

"It's been rather... _nice_ so far, actually. A bit bittersweet but... not a bad start."

"Wow, is this actually a work that'll be _kind_ on us?!"

"Remember, Asuka. This _is_ after the End of Evangelion."

"Ah so it won't be _too_ kind on us, then." She concluded. "Oh well, it doesn't have to be _too_ kind on us."

"It only has to be kinder than _everything else_ that happened to us." Shinji flatly remarked. "Which _really_ shouldn't be difficult."

"The fact it's set _after_ the end of the world doesn't do you any favours, admittedly."

Shinji and Asuka shrugged. "We ended up fine in _Wolk's_ work, didn't we? Even _during_ the post-apocalypse part, we were doing alright for ourselves."

"And judging by _this_ image." Pointing to the work, her arms wrapped around Shinji. "We _do_ end up alright for ourselves."

"Only way we can know for sure is if we wait and see."

"Well? Let's keep _going_ then!"

And so they continued.

~~~

** 2.2: Our Significance **

_End_ **(Page 23)**

A: "Well, you're not _strangling_ me."

S: "Always a good start."

E: "You two are fully clothed, as well."

R: "At least all the _significant_ parts, in Asuka's case."

K: "The injuries of what happened are _still_ evident, at least."

A: "Wasn't I completely _fine_ , in Wolk's work?"

R: "Indeed, in _Wolk's_ work."

A: "Ah so I might _actually_ be blind in one eye and lame in one arm."

E: "A good thing _Shinji_ is there."

... **(24)**

S: "...Of course, I might not be the _best_ person to be around, in my current state."

A: "A good thing _I'm_ there, at least."

K: "Indeed. I think we know _well_ by now, the best way to sooth a broken soul is with _another_ soul."

E: "Whether this _other_ soul is broken as well doesn't seem to matter too much."

R: "It would depend _what_ these two souls do. You two are _lucky_ ; your relationship is a _positive_ one."

A: "With how _damaged_ we are, it could've _easily_ gone the other way, eh?"

Rei nodded.

S: "...Amazing we _weren't_ too damaged."

K: "Even in _Wolk's_ work, you two were not too damaged. At least beyond what could be soothed from you two being together."

A: "It was still a _lot_ of work, though."

R: "And we cannot say the same of _Kimigabuchi's_ work. For a good _majority_ of that doujin."

E: "Though speaking of, we need a way to _differentiate_ this work from the other doujin, don't we?"

Kaworu flipped to the front cover, looking for an author. "Pengel?"

A: "Christ even their _name_ sounds similar to _Pen-Pen_!"

... **(25)**

A: "Wait you _did_ try to strangle me?"

E: "At least they had the decorum to _not_ show it."

R: "You are taking being _strangled_ rather well, for what it is worth."

K: "...Paints a new light as to _why_ Shinji did such thing, at least." He sighed in melancholy. "He did not want to _subject_ you to this world."

S: "Even though she came back to be with _me_."

A: "Still... I can't really _fault_ that thinking. Not wanting to get _me_ involved."

S: "Still doesn't justify me almost _killing_ you, Asuka."

Asuka sighed. "...At least I was able to show you I _wanted_ to be there with you.

_Blame_ **(Page 26)**

K: "There is _that_ argument, as well."

R: "For the _entire_ time, you were strung around by forces _well_ beyond our control."

A: "Hell, it was only near the _end_ that _we_ were able to grab them by the balls."

E: "And after all that _happened_... it's rather _understandable_ you made the decision you did."

Shinji sighed. "I think we _already_ came to that conclusion. That all that happened in the Laserdiscs beat me down so _hard_ , it was practically _certain_ I made the decision I did."

A: "And as we _also_ said, we can't _blame you._ Even _if_ we sometimes prod you for ending the world."

R: "And who _would_ want to live in a world like that? That almost seems to _deliberately_ cut you down?"

K: "Given everything, it _would_ have been the right decision. At the very least, it will remove the pain of _others_. And if they _want_ to carve their own happiness for themselves, they are welcome to take that opportunity, as you two have done."

S: "...It's still hard to believe _that_ is the better option for most worlds."

A: "Only because the powers that be _made_ it that way." She muttered. "I would _prefer_ having a world like _ours_ , where we made our own happiness _despite_ all that shit. But I suppose carving happiness out _after_ the end of the world is the next best alternative."

E: "The fact it _is_ an alternative that we have to consider."

R: "...Though her words still hold true. You should _not_ blame yourself, Shinji."

... **(27)**

K: "...As has been said."

A: "It certainly _has_ seemed like destiny, hasn't it?"

S: "It only happened practically _every_ time."

E: "Is _our_ world really the _only_ exception to that?"

R: "So far, yes."

A: "But... yeah. Even _with_ the end of the world, we _both_ willed ourselves back. To... at least _try_ carving out some happiness for ourselves."

Shinji huffed. "It's still rather _extreme_ , isn't it."

The redhead couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah."

E: "Thing is, this would've been the _third_ time this has happened to you two."

R: "Perhaps Instrumentality was _designed_ to get you two together." She mused. "It certainly _is_ convenient; giving you two the _world_ for yourselves."

A: "I know I _really_ love Shinji, but I'm sure we _both_ wouldn't mind at least having a _few_ others."

E: "Specifically _Rei and Kaworu_ , I'm sure."

Asuka snorted. "You bet. If the world _had_ to end, and there was no one else left, _you three_ are who I'd choose to spend it with."

K: "What an honour."

... **(28)**

R: " _I_ would certainly call it significant."

K: "Of _both_ of your lives. That you decide to return to _be_ with one another."

A: "Nothing like having the entire _world_ to ourselves, by the sounds of it."

E: "Of course, having a _few_ others wouldn't be bad."

S: "A _select_ few."

A: "...And especially since we'd be the _last_. That makes our lives all the _more_ significant, doesn't it?"

R: "And it looks like _Shinji_ realises this, as well."

S: "...I mean, I _would_."

Asuka patted his back. "The world may have _ended,_ but at least we have _each other_ , eh?"

S: "Yeah... it's not so bad, isn't it?"

... **(29)**

E: "I must say, _that_ was a rather reasonable resolution."

K: "Even in _Wolk's work_ , it took a lot more than _that_ for you two to resolve your outstanding issues."

A: "Honestly, I don't think we have _many_ issues anyway. The only reason we didn't come together in the _Laserdiscs_ was because of poor communication."

R: "Which did not end well."

S: "But as we say, it only took the end of the world for us to realise."

A: "But at least we _did_ realise. Maybe... maybe this _will_ end up well for us, then."

E: "You are _still_ in a post-Instrumentality world."

A: "I know _that_. But... we'll be alright. I'm sure of it." A small huff. "And yeah, _we_ certainly don't blame you, Shinji."

S: "...I appreciate that."

_Hate_ **(Page 30)**

A: "You _guess_?"

S: "You know I'd be just as bad as communicating _there_."

A: "Heh, I know."

E: "At least he _doesn't_ hate you."

R: "Why _would_ he? He has _always_ loved you, Asuka."

K: "Even _with_ what happened in the Laserdiscs, that love was still there."

A: "A good thing that love _is_ still there. Would've been a bit of a _problem_ , being the only people _left_ in that world."

E: "If anything, being alone would _help_ this love. You _only_ have one another."

Shinji chuckled. "Not too many options, eh?"

So did Asuka. "Good thing we've _already_ chosen, at that point."

... **(31)**

They both snickered at the initial conversation. "It's good to see even _after_ all that happened, you can _still_ get Shinji like that."

A: "Heh, guess I got that _touch_. Even _when_ we're still trying to find where we are."

S: "I don't think I've _ever_ thought that, when I've thought about you."

R: " _You_ , indeed."

E: "Your Laserdisc self might be a bit more _grey_ , however."

S: "Even _then,_ as has been said, I don't think I ever _hated_ Asuka."

A: "If you _did_ truly hate me, you would've gone through with the whole _strangling_ thing."

S: "...Though that's still not a sign of _love_ , isn't it."

R: "Depends if that is your _kink_."

Asuka snorted. "I don't think _any_ of us would be into that sorta thing, Rei."

K: "We don't exactly have great _experiences_ with such thing, after all." A huff. "I'm rather surprised _you_ can talk about such thing in jest, Rei."

To which she shrugged. "What happened happened. No point dwelling on it."

K: "Can't fault _that_ logic."

... **(32)**

E: "...Sounds like you two are starting off with a clean slate."

A: "I love him. And I _know_ he loves me. And... I said a lot of _horrible_ things to him in the Laserdiscs."

S: "A good thing, too. Since it seems like your legs aren't working."

A: "Pfft, not sure _why_. They were working in _Wolk's_ work, I'm sure."

K: "Nothing like getting carried on someone's back." He smirked.

R: "I certainly do not experience that as much as _you_ do." A huff. "But... at least you two have decided to put the past behind you."

S: "As _you_ said. Whatever happened happened."

A: "Yeah, no point dwelling on it." A small smile. "Plus... this is a good opportunity for us to _really_ get together."

E: "And it only took the end of the world."

K: "It certainly allows you to _only_ focus on one another, that's for sure."

S: "We'd have to focus on _surviving_ in a post-apocalyptic world, as well."

A: "So much like _Wolk's_ work." She chuckled. "It's kinda like a doujin of _that_ , ain't it?"

_Together_ **(33)**

They all snickered, as Shinji carried Asuka. "I am sure it _would_ have been surprising to you, Shinji."

S: "With how you _were_ like, in the Laserdiscs."

E: "A good thing they patched things up."

K: "A shame it took the _end_ of the world."

A: "If I had a Euro for every time we'll say that, I could get a few cases of beer."

S: "I imagine we'll be saying that a _lot_." Before he softly smiled. "At least it sounds like we're a lot more... _diplomatic_ with one another."

A: "We _have_ decided to be with one another, Shinji." To which she smiled. "Makes sense we are, eh?"

S: "Mhm, it does."

... **(34)**

K: "Ah, and it looks like you've _already_ found a place to stay, for the night."

E: "Odds are, it will be _your_ house."

A: "I know in _Wolk's_ work, we _started_ there."

S: "Until we found out it was rather... _not practical_ for post-apocalyptic living."

Asuka chuckled. "Can't exactly _grow_ stuff in an apartment, after all."

R: "The lack of electricity and water storage also would not help."

K: "Even though the water was still _running_ for a short while, if I remember correctly."

R: "Indeed, but that would have not lasted too long. Generators only last so long, and all of the core infrastructure for Tokyo-3 was centralised within the Geofront for protection. Save a few backups."

S: "Maybe we'll find something like _that_. Start our post-apocalyptic life off on the right foot."

A: "Yeah. Gotta admit, it _sounded_ kinda cozy. Despite the tough living."

**(Page 33)**

"Y'know something? I think this _is_ going rather well so far." Asuka thought. "Though I'm _trying_ not to get my hopes up _too_ much."

"Odds are, there _will_ be some difficulty." Noted Rei. "This _is_ post-Instrumentality, after all."

"And you two _are_ all alone, in the world."

"But the simple fact you are _willing_ to live in such a world, no matter what."

"Shows how we _think_ about one another, at least." Shinji couldn't help but smile. "If... we're _both_ willing to persist in such a world, if we could be with _each other_."

"Yeah." Asuka chuckled. "Even the end of the world isn't so bad if it's with _you_ , Shinji."

The Nephilim couldn't help but smile at Shinji's blush. "Your love still shines bright, you know."

"Oh _we_ know." The candle smirked.

~~~

** 2.3: The Return of Happiness **

_So Live_ **(Page 36)**

A: "I feel like I'm gonna start _repeating_ myself."

R: "We _all_ know you _can_ live in a world like that."

K: " _They_ don't yet know, however."

E: "I doubt those are exactly _great_ thoughts to think about, though."

S: "But we _do_ have to think about them. It's one thing coming back, it's another actually carving _something_ out of the rubble."

A: "I'm sure the _both_ of us have the _determination_ to do so, though. Otherwise, what would be the point of coming back in the first place?"

... **(37)**

E: "Great answer."

S: "I _had_ to give an answer, after all." A small chuckle.

K: "I would call it an _apt_ answer. What else _can_ you do but _live_?"

R: "Live for all those who have not returned."

A: "Maybe we can _encourage_ them to return with our living."

S: "Of course, living means a whole lot _more_ than just spending time together. At least if _Wolk's_ work is anything to go by."

A: "I doubt God or Pen-Pen would give us _everything_ on a silver platter."

R: "Perhaps they may give you the _means_ to do so, as Wolk did."

E: "It'll certainly be a _hard_ life."

K: "I don't think those two doubts that for a _single_ second. But as we know, hardship is a _part_ of life. It certainly _would_ be easy to simply float as no one in an LCL sea, but you are not _you_ anymore. And if you are not you, can you even be _called_ alive?"

S: "So we _live_ , despite _anything_ that happens."

A: "...Certainly wouldn't be the _first_ time we did that, eh?"

... **(38)**

E: "Almost sounds _redundant,_ Misato's words."

R: "It makes sense. If you do not _cling_ onto this life, you are already dead. Look at _Kamina_ , he suffered a fatal injury and yet he _still_ lived until his job was done."

K: "And happiness _does_ have a reason to do with living."

A: "You can just look at _us_ to realise that." A huff. "Though _return_ to happiness implies we _were_ once happy."

S: "I mean, you _could_ say that. For _those two_ , at least."

R: "You two were able to _find_ your happiness again. And through that, give _us_ happiness, as well."

K: "Thanks for that, by the way."

Asuka rubbed the back of her head. "Can't leave _either_ of you in the gutter, can we?"

... **(39)**

Asuka huffed. "I've had _enough_ of lilies."

Kaworu chuckled. "Lilly of the valley is _different_ to the Lilium, that was so prominent in Elfen Lied."

E: "Makes me wonder why they are even _called_ lilies, then."

R: "Perhaps because they _looked_ like lilies."

K: "And yes, Lilly of the valley _does_ signify a return to happiness. There is also _religious_ significance: humility, envisioning a better world, a sign of the Second Coming."

A: "I mean, other than the _humility_ part, you could use that to describe _us_ at the moment."

S: "I'd probably fit the humility, at least."

Asuka poked her tongue.

E: "It's a promising sign, then. That you two _will_ live happily, despite the circumstances."

A: "We're a _persistent_ lot, Eliza. As long as we have _someone_ , we can carve out a happiness in _any_ situation."

K: "That is the human condition, after all. We _want_ to be happy."

R: "And one of the _best_ ways is to be with _others_. To have _someone_."

S: " _We're_ certainly an example of that."

... **(40)**

K: "And that is what we are trying to say." He couldn't help but smile at how the Asuka of the work seemed to _settle_ into Shinji. "Cling tightly to life."

R: "No matter the circumstance. As long as you are _alive_ , you can change things for the better."

S: "You can make yourself and those you love more... _happy_."

A: "And you _bet_ I'll do _anything_ to stay here." A smile. "I _love_ living, especially if it's with _you_ and _you_ and _you_." As she pointed between all three of the gathered. "And if _I_ can't do anything to stay here, I know for a fact _you guys_ will keep me here."

E: "...It's certainly what they've done _before_."

R: "It is what we _promised_ them, after all."

K: "That is _another_ reason we live." He smiled.

A: "Yeah, you two are our _life insurance_!"

A sideways nod. "You _could_ describe it like that."

E: "From _my_ perspective, it sure seems like that." She jested.

**(Page 41, 42)**

"They're _really_ pushing what we already know, aren't they?"

"That is _good_ , in a way." Thought Rei. "We do not have to _learn_ it." With a smirk.

"Though a _reminder_ is always well and good."

"And we know _they_ need to learn that."

"I'd say they're catching on." Shinji remarked. "They're certainly further along than even our _Wolk_ selves were, at that point in time."

"And Wolk's pretty much the _copper standard_ of post-apocalyptic life."

"Not even _tin_?"

"It gets knocked down a bit due to being _post-apocalyptic_ , Eliza." Flat. "Though that _is_ the highest tier of post-apocalypse, so far."

"You could argue _Bond's_ work ended up post-apocalyptic."

"I count apocalypses as being like a _Mad Max_ apocalypse. If _everything_ just up and collapsed." Pointing to the work. "And in _Pengel's_ work, that's still the same thing."

"Of course, this is still _early_ into the work." Noted Rei. "We cannot know _how_ you two handle it, just yet."

"Judging by _that_ page, we might go _alright_."

Asuka snorted, at the scene of her and Shinji resting foreheads. "That's probably the nudest I've been _so far_."

"Let's hope that _changes_." Shinji prodded.

"Yeah, _you'd_ hope." As she poked her tongue.

~~~

** 2.4: The Fate of Life **

_Desolation_ **(Page 43)**

S: "Looks like you got a change of clothing, Asuka."

A: " _Now_ we're getting into the minimisation of clothing I would _expect_ of a doujin! It barely looks like I'm wearing _anything_ under that shirt!"

K: "To be fair, it isn't like there _is_ a society anymore."

E: "Even so, especially in a _post-apocalypse_ , clothing would need to be _protective_."

R: "That was more or less the case in _Wolk's work_."

A: "Well you _gotta_ protect the arms and legs with something _beefy_ ; don't want to catch _tetanus_ after all."

E: "Of course, this _is_ a doujin."

A: "Yeah, I'm sure _fanservice_ takes priority." She huffed. "Of course, I doubt _anyone_ here would mind."

... **(44)**

A: "Okay that's a _bit_ more conservative than I thought."

R: "I doubt those shoes would be suitable for post-apocalyptic living, however."

E: "If _that's_ considered more conservative."

S: "I think we expected her clothing to _not_ cover that much."

A: "Of _course_ you would." Poking her tongue. "And would ya look at that, my limbs and eye are magically working again! Thanks Rei!"

K: "Once more, another comparison to Wolk's work."

R: "If we had a Yen every time we compared this to Wolk's work, we could afford a new car."

S: "It make sense to compare this to _their_ work. It's a similar _scenario_."

A: "Well, we'll know if Pengel ripped him off if we have a kid and name it _Aki_." She smirked.

... **(45)**

R: "And yet, there are still _those_ questions."

K: "They _are_ apt. What _do_ you do in a world of your own?"

E: "With so many choices, it can be hard to even _choose_."

A: "You guys know what we did in _Wolk's_ work. Maybe something similar to _that_."

S: "It'd be a _start_. Though I probably wouldn't _mind_ if we did something _else_ to that."

Asuka chuckled. "Yeah, we already read through _Wolk's_ rendition of us living in a post-apocalyptic. If it's just _that_ again, we might as well just read through that book again!"

K: "At the very least, a doujin gives us more of a _visual_."

R: "Which _itself_ is a double-edged sword. Remember when Kaworu _immolated_ a particular page of Kimigabuchi's doujin?"

S: "Well we'll just have to trust him to do the same with _this_ one, if they show something like that."

E: "He did _what_?"

_Plans_ **(Page 46)**

K: "Ah, looks like _something_ he found might give you an answer, Asuka."

A: "I would _hope_ so." She huffed. "Though _now_ I'm wondering why I wasn't pulling my own weight in looking for _supplies_."

S: "You _are_ still injured, at least from the _looks_ of it."

E: "And Shinji was literally _carrying you_ for the majority of the past few stories."

A: "Alright, fair. Though I can stand _now_ , can I?"

R: "Maybe he did not want to risk it."

S: "...I mean, that _sounds_ like something I might do."

K: "Perhaps _this_ post-apocalypse is more _calm_ than Wolk's rendition. We know livestock and other animals survived in _their_ rendition."

A: "Even though you guys _said_ they shouldn't."

Kaworu shrugged. "From what _I_ understood, it should be _all_ Lilith based life that would have been claimed by her. They are all one flock, after all."

R: "However, we have _two_ examples to the contrary. In Wolk's work _and_ Bond's work, it was only _humans_ taken. Even though there _are_ examples of other sentient life in _Bond's_ work, at least."

E: "Then again, it sounds like there are _always_ minor differences between the various worlds, _despite_ appearances."

R: "Indeed. We can never know for sure unless it _actually_ happens."

A: "Which it _won't_. At least not a _forced_ Instrumentality."

... **(47)**

Asuka chuckled at Shinji's thought. "Well _that's_ certainly a different idea than we had in _Wolk's_ work, eh?"

E: "Where would you even _go_?"

K: " _Anywhere_."

R: "Though you would have to get off _Japan_ , first of all. Last time I checked, Japan is an _island nation_."

S: "I'm sure we can find _some_ sort of boat somewhere."

A: "Not like there'll be any _border security_ or anything existing anymore."

K: "Plus, moving from place to place ensures there are _resources_ you could use. Nomadic lifestyles were what humanity performed for _thousands_ of years, and indeed some societies still practice this today."

R: "Even _more so_ , I would think."

S: "It'd be pretty amusing to see us _try_ that, I'd think."

A: "Though Eliza _does_ have a point. It's one thing just _travelling_ , but would we have a _destination_?"

K: "Well, you have plenty of _time_. Maybe one day, you can end up in _Germany_."

A: "Pfft, that's gonna take _years_ on foot!"

R: "There would _still_ be resources, remember. And you can make your own fuel from plant matter, so if you find a _pickup_ _truck_ like in Wolk's work."

E: "Depending on _where_ you find that truck, you might have to get it overseas."

A: "Last time _I_ checked, China or Korea or _wherever_ the hell we'll go if we boat overseas have _cars_." A huff. "Not necessarily _good_ cars, but they _are_ cars."

S: "I know _Misato_ would rather _walk_ if she had to use a Korean car."

To which Asuka rolled her eyes. "Is it because Korean cars are _crap_ or because you guys don't _like_ Korea?"

S: "Both, knowing Japan."

... **(48)**

A: "Oh wow, you _are_ thinking about Germany."

K: "As a _destination_. It'll be a _long_ journey."

E: "His reasonings seem understandable, as well. Out of the three billion people on this Earth, surely _someone_ else has returned along with you."

R: "That was not the case in _Wolk's_ work, however in _that_ reality, they never strayed too far from Tokyo-3."

S: "Imagine if it was only _Japan_ that didn't bother coming back."

Asuka huffed. "That would've been pretty _bullshit_ , if we were living in a damn _Mad Max sequel_ while the _rest_ of the world was going alright."

K: "At least _this_ _way_ , you two will know for _sure_. If you really _are_ the only humans left in that world."

A: "I wonder how _I'd_ react to that thought."

_Journey_ **(Page 49)**

A: "Heh, sap."

S: "I could say the same of _you_ , agreeing like that."

E: "You would not separate from him _now_."

K: "Wherever he goes, you will follow."

R: "Or, they go _together_. It is _their_ decision."

A: "And no way I'm _not_ gonna go with you, Shinji! What would _I_ do, then?"

E: "It's far _and_ dangerous, but you would face it _together_ , at the very least."

S: "Is there really any other way we _could_ face such thing?"

... **(50)**

The lot snickered. "Seeing yourself as his _guardian_?"

A: " _Someone_ has to protect him. And _I'm_ certainly good at that, if I say so myself!"

S: "I'd say _I'm_ good at that, as well."

K: "She would keep you in _line_ , at least. As Rei does with me."

Rei huffed. "I am sure Asuka will not punt him into a _tree_ if he acts up."

A: "That Asuka _would_ come from my Laserdisc self, mind you."

R: "So she _might_ , then."

E: "Of course, I imagine you want to be _more_ than his guardian."

A: "Oh _yeah_ , but remember: I am _still_ a massive tsundere in this."

Shinji couldn't help but chuckle. "So this is just you way of saying you want to _protect_ me."

A: "Mhmm, _without_ admitting I love you."

R: "Even _if_ it is painfully obvious."

A: "You _remember_ how Misato tried to push Shinji and I together, right?"

R: "Vaguely."

... **(51)**

R: "...You wanted Shinji and _I_ to be together?"

A: "Even in the _Laserdiscs_ , it was obvious you liked Shinji."

E: "Pretty sure _everyone_ here liked Shinji, one way or the other."

K: "Still the same _here_ , as well."

Shinji could only give a bashful chuckle.

A: "There's a _reason_ we call it a tumbleweed." A small grin. "Still... it shows _my_ lack of self-esteem, doesn't it?"

S: "I think that's something _all_ of our Laserdiscs selves could work on."

R: "Once more, another reason why having _someone_ who builds you up is a good thing. You can _bounce_ off one another, so to speak."

A: "God knows _both_ of us need to work on that, in _that_ work."

**(Page 52)**

"One _could_ call it miraculous, when you think about it." Philosophised Kaworu.

"So, sounds like you two are going on a _journey_."

"Certainly different than _Wolk's_ work, at least." Huffed Asuka. "Though why the hell am I wearing a _choker_?"

"I am wondering _where_ you found said choker." Mused Rei.

"I don't think it looks bad on you, Asuka."

A slight blush. "Course _you_ wouldn't."

"I imagine the rest of this work will _cover_ this journey."

"That's probably why it's so _massive_ , for a doujin." Pointed out Asuka. "It'll take _ages_ to get to Germany from Japan, especially since we can't use _planes_."

"As they say, Asuka. It is not the destination, it is the _journey_."

"Heh. You're right about _that_." She admitted. " _Hopefully_ it'll go alright, then."

~~~

** 2.5: New Journey **

_Healed_ **(Page 53)**

A: "Well well, it only took _fifty one_ pages but _now_ I'm naked!"

S: "A new record." In deadpan.

R: "Even then, it seems remarkably _modest_."

E: "Coming from _Elfen Lied_ , just about anything short of _pornography_ would be more modest."

K: "Elfen Lied _was_ practically pornographic."

R: "I would classify it as _Ecchi_ , myself. Yes it _did_ graphically show the breasts, but it did not show the _genitals_."

A: "Mainly because it's _illegal_ apparently."

R: "Without censorship, yes."

A: "I've always _wondered_ why that was a thing."

R: "Like most things in this world, it was _America's_ doing."

A snort from Asuka. "Figures. Least me being naked has a _reason_ ; shows I'm _completely_ healed."

S: "And it's somewhere _private_."

A: "Much to _your_ dismay, I'm sure."

S: "Somewhat."

The candle poked her tongue.

... **(54)**

E: "Now _that_ seems rather modest."

A: "I'm actually wearing _pants_ for once!"

K: "Miraculous."

R: "And it looks like you _also_ have a truck of some sort."

A: "What kinda truck _is_ that, anyway?"

S: "Probably a _Hilux_ or something."

A: "Ah, _Toyota_. We might have a chance of getting it to _Germany_ , then."

K: "Though much like _Wolk's_ work, you two would _not_ know how to drive."

S: "Even _here_ , we haven't learnt."

A: "Because you have to be _eighteen years old_ before you can even _start_ learning." As she rolled her eyes. "If this were Germany, _I_ could be driving already. As long as I had a _guardian_ in the car."

K: "Might be safer than getting _Misato_ to drive us."

E: "It's good to see you _still_ care for her wellbeing in this, Shinji."

As he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sure it's obvious I _do_ care for her. No matter _what_ world we're in."

Asuka couldn't help but blush.

... **(55)**

She snickered at the face she pulled. "I'm guessing you _still_ don't get it."

S: "Nope."

E: "At he still _complemented_ you."

A: "Got _that_ going for me, at least."

K: "Do we _still_ think anyone could return?"

R: "They _could_ if they _wanted_ to. Out of three billion people, I am sure at least _one_ of them that _were not_ Shinji and Asuka would _want_ to return."

A: "The fact that _no one_ in Japan returned probably says a _lot_."

A huffy chuckle from Shinji. "Our work culture isn't _that_ bad."

A: "You guys literally have a word for _'worked to death'_."

_Adam and Eve_ **(56)**

K: "I thought _Shinji_ was meant to be the _bold_ one."

A: "Heh, he probably doesn't even know _who_ they are."

S: "We have Christian _imagery_ here, we don't know all the _stories_."

E: "It's a good thing Christianity seems to _tolerate_ that sort of appropriation."

A: "If anything, it gets them _more_ publicity. Since they want _others_ to believe in God."

S: "With all that happened, I'm still surprised some people _believe_ in them."

R: "Well, _we_ believe that Pen-Pen is a God."

A: "Mostly in _jest_ , admittedly. But is _is_ an explanation for just _why_ we're getting all this stuff from other universes."

K: "For the amusement of an interdimensional penguin God." In deadpan. " _I_ can believe that."

R: "Maybe he can lend a fin to _you two_ , at the moment."

A: "He probably won't."

... **(57)**

S: "I like how you had to _clarify_."

A: "Yeah, _you_ might've considered yourself the _Eve_." She chuckled.

E: "A new slate, and a journey."

R: "Sounds rather _pleasant_ , almost."

K: "We can see Shinji and Asuka are taking to it with _gusto_."

A: "As I _would_. Hell, even going to Germany _now_ has been pretty fun for me."

S: "Is taking a plane _less_ manly, you'd think?"

A: "I don't even know _why_ I used _manly_. Doesn't sound like a word _I'd_ particularly use."

R: "Helps you are not a _man_."

A: "Yeah that has a lot to do with it. Still, _should_ be fun, hopefully."

**(Page 58, 59)**

"Now _that's_ a rather modest dress!" She complemented herself.

"Even _I'm_ wearing something modest."

"You _always_ keep yourself modest, though." A smirk. "At least _outside_ the bedroom."

"Even _in_ the bedroom, at least with _others_."

"That would be _required_ modesty." A huff.

"Yes, I'm sure _naturalists_ like you two think it's a shame you have to wear _clothing_ to bed, for once."

"I'm pretty sure the term is _naturist_."

"That doesn't help your case, Kaworu!"

~~~

** 2.6: The Prelude to "After This" **

_Lilith_ **(Page 60)**

K: "Looks like you need a moment to _think_ about what will happen, Asuka."

A: "What _better_ place to have a quiet moment than _your severed head._ "

R: "It may _look_ like me, but it is indeed _Lilith_."

A: "You're practically Lilith anyway, Rei. I'd say it's close enough."

... **(61)**

R: "Indeed. And you know I am _watching_."

E: "Most people would think that kinda _weird_."

Rei couldn't help but giggle.

S: "I'm sure being our _Progenitor_ would make it more palatable for most."

K: "The fact that a Progenitor of _all_ life even _exists_ would be revelatory for most humanity."

A: "...Though I can kinda understand if this is all still... _massive_ for me. And that it hasn't hit me completely, yet."

R: "For all intents and purposes, you are taking it _remarkably_ well. And yes, it _would_ be rather lonely."

K: "Your Wolkian selves even _discussed_ this, once Aki came around. What world would be left for _her_."

S: "A good thing _you_ got us back to the past before we had to _confront_ that reality."

A small huff. "Indeed."

... **(62)**

E: "Thing is, _no one_ wished for that world. What they _wished_ for was the world of _Instrumentality_ ; this was just the side effect in _that_ world."

R: "The world of Instrumentality and the physical world are two completely separate entities."

S: "And _I_ certainly know _creating_ an Instrumentality tends to... well, _destroy_ the old world."

A: "And I'm _still_ denying I'm just like you, Shinji."

K: "I'm sure you'll come around eventually." He chuckled. "The fact you wanted to _return_ means you have at least _that_ in common with him."

A: "Despite what my tsun says." A huff.

... **(63)**

S: "Seems some of that tsun is _washing off_."

A: "It's cause I'm _alone_ , Shinji." A soft giggle. "Plus, Rei and I patched things up, didn't we?"

E: "Still working on that with _Shinji_ , obviously."

R: "If _our_ world is any example, all you two need is a _push_ in the right direction."

S: "It was more _stumbling_ in the right direction, in our case."

Rei shrugged. "Still works. As long as you _live_ , it is all well and good."

K: "Even if no one from the other world returns."

A: "More of the world for _us_ at least, eh? Let them stay."

S: "Maybe we can set an _example_ for others; encourage them to _return_."

A: "Shinji, if _no one_ returned during _Wolk's work_ , I doubt they're gonna return in _this_ one."

_Commit_ **(Page 64)**

Rei chuckled. "I was wondering when you were going to rid yourself of them."

A: "I really _don't_ need them anymore, do I?"

E: "Not like _Evangelion_ exist anymore."

K: "The significance of this is all the more... well, _significant_."

A: "And you're the _eloquent_ one."

K: "I know." Flat. "Still, your A-10 Clips represent your _connection_ to Evangelion, don't they? And how much it _means_ to you."

S: "How long did you wear those clips for, after we _got together_?"

A: "Heh, I think I decided to stop wearing them a few months _after_ we got together." As she leaned up against Shinji. "At least out and about. I didn't _need_ to wear my status as a pilot on my sleeve anymore."

R: "An example of your _improved_ self-esteem with Shinji."

A: "You _bet_ it is." A small smile. "It's pretty _encouraging_ , seeing myself _finally_ put that behind me."

... **(65)**

R: "One for you and one for _me_?"

A: "You _better_ wear it!"

R: "I am sure I will." A small giggle.

E: "Will you keep it on you, or something?"

A: "Not like there's any _symmetry_ anymore."

S: "I like it when your hair's down, anyway."

A: "Heh, I _know_ you do." As she flicked her still down hair. "It's pretty nice not having to _worry_ about it."

K: "I don't think I _ever_ had to spend too much time on my hair."

R: " _I_ do not even spend too much time with it." She mused. "A bob cut like this is easy enough to maintain without a hairdresser."

S: "Have you two _ever_ been to a hairdressers?"

They both shook their heads. "If _I_ need a haircut, Rei is _always_ more than happy to do it."

To which she smirked. "At the very least, it can help keep you in line. Act up, I can just cut it _all_ off."

K: "I've always wondered if I could speed up the growth of my hair with my Solenoid."

... **(66)**

S: "Sorry to interrupt that _conversation_ of yours."

R: "It appeared a bit one sided anyway, Shinji."

Asuka huffed. "Helps the mental state, at least."

K: "It would. This is your departure from your past."

E: "Ready to take on whatever the future holds."

A: "Alongside _Shinji._ " She thought with a smile. "Even _if_ I keep calling him an idiot."

S: "That might as well be _endearment_ , at this point."

A: "Heh, idiot."

S: "See?" He grinned. "You look a _lot_ happier, at least."

R: " _Always_ a good thing."

... **(67)**

They all snickered at this 'endearment'. "It's an _odd_ way of showing endearment, I would think."

A: "There's a difference between _playful_ insults and _genuine_ insults, Eliza. Practically _everything_ I say to Shinji is a playful one, nowadays."

K: "And _this_ is certainly of the _playful_ variety."

R: "Might as well be the tsundere way of showing affection."

K: "Don't _I_ know it." A flat remark.

R: "I have only thrown you against a tree a _few_ times, Kaworu."

E: "Asuka taught you, didn't she."

A: "You bet I did." A slight grin. "But hey, it ended up _well_ for us, eh?"

S: "Once we _all_ realised our feelings for one another. Which I think _you_ there realise, as well."

K: "You just haven't _admitted_ it, yet."

A: "At least I haven't said any _generic_ tsun lines yet. Like 'it's not because I _like_ you' or anything, when I do something that shows I really _do_ love you."

R: "Even though you _both_ said lines like that in the _Laserdiscs_."

A: "Touche."

**(Page 68, 69)**

"And if _that_ doesn't show my love for you." Shinji deadpanned, at how he was _treating_ Asuka in the sketches of these pages.

"As long as you don't end up _boiling_ me like I was a lobster, Shin-chan." As she poked her tongue.

"We can see you certainly _appreciate_ it, if the other page is anything to go by."

"Much like how you sleep _normally_." Rei thought, with a sly smile. "At least we can see what _kind_ of car you have."

"Isuzu make SUVs?"

"I thought it was a _pickup_." Kaworu mused.

"Either way," Asuka continued, "I don't think _Misato_ would like it."

"A car is a car." Spoke Rei. "Looks do not matter in an _apocalypse_."

"At the very least, it'd have plenty of _space_ for us."

"Yeah, I'm sure _you_ wouldn't mind if we used the _backseat_." She slyly smiled. "Still, those small sketches of us are... kinda _cute_ , aren't they?"

"And that's coming from _you_ , as well." Her other noted.

"You two fit _well_ together." Rei thought, with a smile.

~~~

** 2.7: Oneshots 1 **

_The World Where This Continues_ **(Page 70)**

Rei couldn't help but snicker. "Oh I am sure we would be more _talkative_."

K: "I take it you didn't _know_ what happened between Shinji and Misato, Asuka."

A: "I'm sure I would _now_."

E: "He can clear it up once you stop _throttling him_."

S: "...Yeah, I'm sure _that_ Misato would _not_ continue something like that. It was something she did to _try_ getting me out of that slump."

R: "It did not work too well."

A: "She _did_ die; Shinji may be an idiot but he knows when a wound should be _fatal_."

S: "Got _that_ going for me, at least."

_..._ **(71)**

Asuka hid her face in her hands, as everyone giggled. "...God damn it, me."

K: "Bit of a _double standard_ , isn't it."

S: "And if anything, you went even _further_ with that."

A: "I _know_." Through teeth.

R: "Right in front of Shinji, as well." A small chuckle. "At least you are _much_ better, nowadays."

A: "It helps I'm not _obsessed_ with Kaji, as I was."

E: "He _was_ your guardian for the longest time, so such obsession _can_ be understandable."

A: "Not to _that_ extent. Then again, I wasn't exactly right in the head back then. Hell, I'm _still_ not completely right in the head, though I'm _much better_ than I was, at least."

K: "Nowadays, you're obsessed with someone close to _your_ age."

Asuka responded with a tongue poke. " _You guys_ count, as well!"

_Bride Samba_ **(Page 72)**

A: "I'm actually _cooking_?"

S: "You're not _that_ bad, Asuka."

A: "Only cause _you_ taught me, Shin-chan!"

R: "I am sure you _would_ make a good wife, however."

E: "Then again, there is currently a dearth of other candidates."

Asuka snorted. "Certainly helps _narrow it down_ , doesn't it?"

K: "I'm sure Shinji would pick you regardless, even _with_ other options."

Asuka blushed. "As long as _he_ sticks to the cooking."

_Mirror Mirror_ **(Page 73)**

Snickering. "Once again, by default."

R: " _I_ would certainly call you as such, Asuka."

Rolling her eyes with a blush. "I'm sure _most_ of you would say such thing. Kaworu might at least call _you_ fairer than I."

K: "And once more, you bore her wrath."

S: "As fits me, it seems."

E: "So are these short stories what you two got up too in the meantime?"

R: "Or perhaps they are more _omake_ style. One shot stories that fit on one to two pages."

A: " _Most_ of this doujin has been a few short stories with an overarching plot so far. So I think that's just a thing Pengel decided to do." She shrugged.

S: "At least it gives us a bit of a _break_ every dozen or so pages. Instead of having to slog through a _hundred_ pages of trauma inducing doujin."

K: "We cannot deny this has _not_ been traumatising."

R: "It is almost _cathartic_ , in a way. Coming from _Elfen Lied_ of all shows, as well."

A: "Maybe Pen-Pen _heard_ I was planning on ripping his head off, and decided to _butter me up_ a bit by showing Shinji and I in such _lovely_ scenarios."

E: "I _still_ wouldn't call the end of the world preferable."

Asuka shrugged. "At this point, I just take what I can get. Sure, the world's _fucked_ , but at least Shinji's there."

S: "At least we can survive _together_." A small huff.

_Who's That Boy Behind You_ **(Page 74)**

E: "Yeah, the outcome of _that_ sort of game would be a given."

A: "Unless it was a _ghost_."

R: "Or I came back from Instrumentality to mess with you."

A: "I can see _you_ do that."

S: "Can't say I _didn't_ try, at least."

Asuka chuckled. "We _can_ say that, at least."

K: "The fact you didn't massacre him for laying his hands on you like that would imply your relationship has _improved_ , at the very least."

R: "It did not stir Asuka in the slightest."

A: "I must be reading something _really_ fascinating, then."

E: "Maybe this work. Since we have seen _you_ read it in this very work."

A: "And now _we're_ reading it. That's some shit, ain't it?"

_A Rumour Lasts for Seventy-Five Days_ **(Page 75)**

K: "Though you can still get mad at him, I suppose." A flat remark.

A: "My head doesn't grow to the size of a fucking _car_ whenever I do get mad, though."

E: "Perhaps a bit of _artistic license_."

S: "I _still_ need to realise we're the only people left, by the sounds of it."

R: "It _would_ be something to adjust to, I would think."

A: "I'm sure he'll get it _eventually_." A small snicker. "If my head doesn't crush him beforehand."

_From the Language of Selling, to Buying_ **(Page 76)**

A: "Ah you're getting there, Shinji."

E: " _You_ certainly seem appreciative." Her intonation implied the exact opposite.

A: "Pshaw. Remember, I might as well be a _tsundere_."

K: "It would take a _massive_ event for you to _fully_ admit your feelings for him."

S: "And that massive event _here_ was a pretty good kiss, wasn't it?"

A: "You _bet_ it was! Though I _really_ should've realised by _Sandalphon_."

R: "Having someone save your life tends to cause that." A small smile. "I know that well."

~~~

** 2.8: Towards a Repayment of Good Luck **

_Mountain_ **(Page 77)**

A: " _I'm_ driving?"

E: "In a ways that's giving Shinji a _heart attack_ , as well."

K: "Then again, not like there's any _laws_ governing conduct on the roads anymore."

R: "They are there for a _reason_. One of those reasons would be to prevent you two falling off that mountain you seem to be driving up."

S: "Speaking of, where _are_ we going, anyway?"

A: "Maybe somewhere nice and _private_ , underneath the stars. Y'know, so we can _do it_."

E: "I doubt Shinji would complain about _that_."

R: "I doubt you two are anywhere _close_ to doing it."

Asuka shrugged. "It's a nice thought."

K: "I thought you were _averse_ to fanservice." He flatly remarked.

A: "You can _imply_ we made love without actually _showing_ it. Plus, I doubt _Shinji_ would complain."

S: "That might as well be a _given_ at this point." A wry comment."

... **(78)**

R: "Is a hot spring a suitable substitute for sex?"

A: "Hot springs _are_ pretty good, Rei." She chuckled. "Even for _us_ , it's been a while since we've been to a spring."

K: "I don't think _I_ have ever been."

S: "Last time I _remember_ going was right after _Sandalphon_ , so that would've been close to _three years_ ago."

E: "You've at least _bathed_ since then, right?"

A: "Only _daily_." A huff. "The fact I've gone _two_ days without bathing myself means _something_ happened."

R: "Which it did. The _end of the world_ happened."

K: "A shame that threw a wrench into your bathing schedule."

Asuka couldn't help but laugh at that comment, "I know, right?"

... **(79)**

K: "I thought _I_ was meant to be the self aware one."

A giggle from the candle. "They could've _easily_ done fanservice for that."

R: "And yet they did _not_. Puts Pengel in a good light, at the very least."

E: "What about showing you drinking _beer_?"

A: "I drink beer _normally_ , Eliza." A huff. "Not _too_ bad; at least I'm not drinking _Yebisu_."

S: "Not like anyone can _stop_ us. Even though _I'm_ thinking that."

K: "Is Asahi any good as a beer?"

Asuka shrugged. "It's not _piss water_."

S: "What a glowing review."

R: "You do not seem to mind it either, Shinji."

E: "Might as well enjoy it while it _lasts_."

A: "Maybe Shinji can get into _homebrewing_ , if we find a place to settle down."

A chuckle. "I'm sure _you'd_ like that."

... **(80)**

S: "Of course, I have a _point_. Just because we don't _have_ to."

A: "Otherwise we would've _already_ degenerated into a hedonistic orgy."

R: "With only two people."

K: "It's evident _you_ are having conflicting thoughts as well, Asuka."

E: "Everyone has their own values, it seems. Even if there's no one else, you'll still _follow_ them."

A: "It's a good thing we _share_ those values, eh Shinji?"

S: "Yeah. I can always keep you on the straight and narrow."

Asuka snorted. "That, or I _pull_ us into debauchery and degeneracy."

R: "Not like anyone could _stop_ you, after all."

E: "Other than _yourselves_."

K: "I'm sure they'll be _responsible_ enough."

Asuka offered him a flat stare. "What was it we were planning on doing when we came to Germany?"

K: "...Right, fair point."

_Best Efforts_ **(Page 81)**

A: " _I_ don't think only _two_ people can keep the _whole_ world's values."

R: "You will keep _your_ values."

K: "And indeed, you will forge _new_ values for this new world. As you did in _Wolk's_ work."

S: "...But there's plenty of things from the _old_ world we shouldn't forget, either."

E: "Indeed, but Asuka _does_ have a point. You're only two people; it's not exactly a _society_."

A: "That, and... we _should_ focus on _each other_. Especially if we _are_ the only ones left."

R: "You two are all one another _has_ , after all."

... **(82)**

S: "...Maybe I _do_ need to get my head around the fact we're the only ones left."

K: "It _would_ be quite the adjustment."

A: "But a completely _understandable_ thought. Hence why I said what I said."

E: "It's a good thing _you're_ there, then."

A: "...Yeah." A small smile. "You _bet_ I'm not gonna leave him alone in that world."

R: "I wonder what this something _good_ would be, though."

K: "If Pengel keeps up the pace of _not_ doing asinine fanservice, it won't be _that_."

S: "With how _I've_ been... it'll probably be something to cheer me up."

A: "I doubt you'd mind _that_ as well, Shinji."

... **(83)**

Kaworu gave a small chuckle. "That's what you do _normally_ , I would think."

E: "Could say you were wanting him to _rely_ on you."

A: "I mean, we _already_ rely on one another, don't we?"

S: "And that's _without_ being the only two left on the planet."

R: "If _we_ are almost cripplingly codependent on one another, you two would be in _that_ scenario, as well."

E: "Not like that's even a _problem_ in that world. I'd say it was _good_ ; keeps you two together in such a world."

S: "I gotta pay for that indiscretion _somehow_." He shrugged.

A: "Oh and I'm sure you _will_ , Shin-chan."

K: "If Pengel decides to stray from the straight and narrow, and into the _fanservice_."

... **(84)**

S: "It worked to cheer me up, at least."

A: "Heh, I'm pretty _good_ at that, am I?"

E: "So all he has to do to repay you is to stay with you for the rest of his life."

K: "He'd do that _voluntarily_ anyway."

A: "Not that _I_ know that, at that time. This is just the backward way a _tsun_ says it."

R: "They have _really_ worked up that aspect of yourself."

A: "Kinda looks like it, eh? As long as I don't _completely_ abuse Shinji with it."

S: "I always liked that aspect of you."

Asuka huffed. "Idiot." Before offering a small smile.

... **(85)**

Chuckling, as she completely abused Shinji. "That's not what I wanted!"

R: "I would not think _one_ beer would cause that."

E: "Perhaps an _excuse_ for her remarks."

S: "I wonder why I'm asking for _stubbornness_ , though."

K: "Perhaps one _needs_ to be stubborn, in a world like that."

A: "Or to be with _me_." A small chuckle. "Cause God knows _I_ can be stubborn at times."

R: "Stubborn is good, though. If you were _not_ stubborn, that would not bode well for _piloting_."

E: "I'm sure it'll help for you to _live_ together, as well."

S: "We got a decently sized _car_ , at least. I doubt we can live in a house for _too_ long, since we're heading to _Germany_."

A: "I'm sure we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Shinji."

**(Page 86, 87)**

"You look pretty _cute_ there, Asuka." Rei commented.

"I look like a _mother_!"

"Not like that's a _bad_ thing." Shinji added on.

Much to her blush, and much to the other's amusement.

"Does it count as fanservice if it shows you being _cute_?"

"I'm sure _some_ people would count it, but _I_ don't." Thought Asuka. "Fanservice is when someone is very _deliberately_ sexualised; and so far Pengel has not only _not_ done that, they're downright _averse_ to it."

"Quite the change, I would think." Mused Kaworu.

"Coming from _Elfen Lied_ , it makes it look like a damn _Puritan_." She huffed. "So how long have we been _reading_ this, so far?"

"An hour, give or take."

"One more story, then?"

Nodding all around at Kaworu's query. "I can go for that." Asuka confirmed. "Can't spend _all_ day looking at Rift Material, after all."

"It will give us something to do _later_ , as well."

"Yeah, and with how _good_ this has been so far, I might actually _want_ to read it!"

~~~

** 2.9: The Young Man's Anguish **

_Go_ **(Page 88)**

E: "Looks like you two are almost ready for _bed_."

A: "And wearing _much_ more conservative pyjamas than usual!"

R: "And we thought you were being conservative with _us_." A flat musing.

A: "I don't see _you_ complaining about it." As she poked her tongue. "We're having fun _without_ electricity, as well."

S: "I don't think I've even _played_ Go, honestly."

A: "I was gonna ask, cause _I_ sure as hell never played it."

K: "It's very much akin to _chess_ , albeit rather different in ruleset and _strategy_. Stones are placed on a field, in points, and cannot be removed unless _captured_ by an opponent surrounding them on all cardinal directions."

E: "That sounds... rather _thought provoking_ , actually."

K: "There is quite a bit more _nuance_ to this, of course."

S: "At least we're making _small talk_ , as well."

A: "Yeah, but it's still me _gushing_ over Kaji." Muttering.

... **(89)**

A: "I'm right about _that_ , at least." A small sigh. "I _really_ shouldn't keep abusing you like that, Shinji."

E: "Especially since he's the _only_ one left."

K: "A part of me does not think that is accurate to the ruleset of Go."

R: "They could have been playing _Reversi_."

S: "At least you don't think I'm _weak_."

A: "Still not a good excuse to _abuse_ you, Shin-chan." A huff. "Plus, didn't we say we were gonna move on from the past or something?"

K: "There's no harm in _remembering_ the past. And the good it had."

A: "That seems a bit _more_ than simply remembering the past." Flat. "I'm still _gushing_ over Kaji."

E: "Of course, your current _aversion_ to thinking about that would explain most of your qualms with you as shown here."

A: "You don't say." Still flat.

_Sleep_ **(90)**

Asuka was now giggling. "Guess what, that's _still_ my favourite way of keeping warm!"

R: "It _is_ rather nice." A soft smile. "Especially when there is _nothing_ between you."

E: "Are you _still_ trying to convince Asuka to sleep like that together."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "I know in _this,_ we're nowhere _near_ close to not wearing anything in bed."

S: "Not to mention, it's _cold_." Chuckling. "And even _normally_ , we wear _something_ to bed, don't we?"

A: "It's the _barest_ of somethings but it's not _nude_." Smirking. "At least when we weren't doing anything _special_ that night. And I _would_ ask how _you two_ kept warm in the cold winter nights if you _always_ slept like that, but we _both_ know how now, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "A shame we don't have built in _heaters_."

Kaworu chuckled. "One of the _advantages_ of the Solenoid, I would think."

R: "I _would_ say that would explain my... _propensity_ for such thing. Had I not had that _before_ I acquired a Solenoid."

E: " _I_ certainly wouldn't have thought it was _just_ Rei and Kaworu with such tendency."

The lot snickered. "Hey, we've certainly been _better_ , haven't we?"

... **(91)**

E: "Of course, you _say_ that."

R: "It would depend if they have _reached_ that point, at the moment."

S: "I know _we_ would probably be in the middle of kissing up a storm, if _we_ were in that situation."

A: "We'd be at _second base_ at this point."

K: "I suppose it would depend if you still believe _Shinji_ should make the first move."

E: "Asuka's _already_ made the first move."

A: "And if this _is_ a continuation from the Laserdiscs like _Wolk's_ work was, I'd _know_ he's not exactly the _expert_ at that."

S: "Can't deny _I've_ gotten better." Huffing. "Though... not like I particularly _mind_ when you take the initiative."

A: "Show's I'm a strong woman, eh?" Confidently pointing towards herself.

Rei couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange. "Let us see how you two _continue_ , then."

... **(92)**

R: "Ah. That is disappointing."

K: "Almost reminds me of _our_ relationship, at first."

R: "By the time we were able to sleep together, I was _long_ past wanting to kill you."

E: "Looks like you're _still_ expecting Shinji to pick up _some_ slack."

A: "Still need to learn that, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "At least until you can _teach_ me." A wry remark.

A: "Ah I'm sure I'll get there _eventually_." A pat on Shinji's back. "Takes a bit to get to ya, but once you _do_." A soft smile. "Could say the same of _me_ as well."

K: "Kaji _did_ say women were hard to understand. At least at _first_."

R: "Until you _really_ get to know them."

... **(93)**

A: "Oh for fucks sake I'm _still_ muttering about him?"

K: "I can understand _why_ he's fearing for his life, at least."

E: "Once again, a bit of a double standard."

Shinji couldn't help but smile regardless. "I know _you_ like a bit of a snuggle, Asuka."

A: "If by 'like', you mean I can barely even _sleep_ without holding onto someone." A small chuckle. "Good thing _you_ and even _you two_ as well don't mind me being a bit... _clingy_."

R: "Nothing like the presence of someone else to help you sleep." A soft smirk. "Even in the _Laserdiscs_ , you knew this."

A: "Even if I didn't want to _admit_ it. Hell I _still_ don't want to admit it."

E: "Even though you are holding him _right now_."

A: "Yeah, but remember, I would _still_ have all the myriad of mental problems that I had in the _Laserdiscs_. And if _I_ still have my myriad of issues, you can bet _she_ does."

Before Asuka gave a small sigh. "...Hopefully you can get through those masks of mine again, Shinji."

**STOP 94**

" _Still_ rocking the pyjamas, at least." A small huff.

"So, " Kaworu began. "Thoughts on the doujin?"

"Cute."

"Strangely _innocent_."

"Certainly a _good_ change, coming from Elfen Lied."

"It's almost _suspiciously_ lighthearted. Where's the catch?" Queried the computer. "Where's the death and sex?"

"Or maybe Pengel _does_ have our best interests at heart, for once." Huffed Asuka. "That or that damn penguin didn't want to take _any_ chances with me after getting us to watch _Elfen Lied_."

"With _this_ world, that would not even _surprise_ me." Deadpanned Rei, as the doujin was closed and left on the bench. "It is still early in the afternoon."

The gathered thought. "We went to the zoo on _Sunday_ , so can't do that again."

"Could just do what we did for the past few days." Asuka shrugged. "Play video games. It _is_ our vacation, after all."

Lucky for them, Asuka's cellphone rang.

"Well, I'm sure _that'll_ give us something to do." Remarked Kaworu.

"Depends if we want to do whatever..." As she looked at the screen. " _Misato_ wants."

"I thought it would've been pretty _late_ over in Japan."

Asuka shrugged, as she answered. "No, we haven't been _fucking_ Misato."

_"I like how_ that's _the first thing you say."_ Flat. _"But that_ is _good to hear. Hopefully you guys have_ something _else to occupy yourselves."_

A small chuckle. "Oh we do."

_"That doesn't exactly help your case."_ Still flat. _"Either way, I got a small_ favour _to ask of you guys."_

"Oh you're asking _us_?"

_"Yeah, I know it's your holiday and all that, but it involves_ Ritsuko _."_

There was a beat, as a few gears spun. "Eheh, _you_ think Randall is her father as well?"

_"You were_ already _thinking that?"_

"Well we couldn't _not_. Knowing that _Randall Vogel_ , apparent father of Ritsuko Akagi, just so happens to be banging our guardian in Germany."

_"They're_ what?! _He's old enough to be her_ father _!"_

"Better not let _Rei_ hear that." Before she softly chuckled. "As long as they're consenting and they love one another, who the hell _cares_?"

_"I gotta know, how long have they been an item?"_

"Since the early 10s, by the sounds of it." She huffed. " _Apparently_ , he was just as big a womaniser as _Kaji_ was. A part of me thinks the only reason he sticks with Carmen is because she threatened to _geld_ him if he slept around."

_"Not even_ I _had to go to that extent with Ryoji."_ Before there was a chuckle. _"At the very least, that might be_ good _for us."_

"So, how'd you expect _us_ to help you with Ritsuko's _paternity testing_?"

If this were a video call, Asuka would see Misato's flat look. _"What are the chances you can get a sample of_ his _DNA?"_

"Low, unless you want us to _ask_ Carmen to get it for us. Which _should_ be easy enough." Sly. "I'm sure they _mix_ DNA on a daily basis."

Groaning over the line. _"_ Please _don't make me think about that."_ A mutter. _"If you could ask her to get a sample from him, I'd appreciate that. Maybe even a_ story _from him."_

"I'm sure he'd have _many_ stories from the 80s, Misato." Flat. "How do we even know Ritsuko's mother wasn't just one of twelve dozen birds he got up the duff?"

_"I hope to_ God _it wasn't that much."_

"I was exaggerating."

_"Good."_ She muttered out. _"Just get us_ something _that could help with busting or confirming this, alright? Then I_ promise _I won't disturb or otherwise butt into whatever else you do with your vacation, okay?"_

A small pause. "...I didn't really mind that, Misato. Just so you know."

_"...Oh?"_

"You were right. We... _were_ kinda moving pretty fast. And we _have_ slowed down massively so... thanks for that."

Another pause.

_"I wasn't too_ harsh _on you, was I?"_ Misato eventually started again. _"I honestly felt like_ shit _after saying that."_

"Nah, I... I think I _needed_ that, Misato. So thanks for being a _mother_ , again."

_"...Heh, guess I'm alright at that."_

"Based on how you called Kaji by his _first_ name, we might have to make room for your _actual_ child soon enough."

_"You too, eh."_ Completely flat. _"Rits implied that as well, y'know."_

"You _never_ call him by his first name, Misato. Not unless you were _really_ feeling close to him."

Another spot of silence.

_"...Between you and me, I've... been_ really _feeling that urge recently, Asuka."_

"Heh, realised you _liked_ having a full house or something?"

_"...Do you and Kaji have a_ mental link _or something? Cause that's pretty much what he said to_ me _."_

Asuka couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. " _Someone_ had to influence me growing up, y'know." Before she sighed. "...Still. I can say _I've_ certainly thought that, sometimes. The various Rift Materials don't help."

_"Considering you've apparently_ ended up _pregnant in_ most _of them, at least from what I've seen."_ Flat. _"You understand_ why _I'm averse to you lot getting up the duff too young, at least."_

"Yeah, I know. Not wanting us to be saddled with such thing _too_ early, eh." She sighed. "I suppose it makes sense _you_ end up that way before us."

_"Oi I'm not up the duff_ yet _."_

A snort. "Yet."

_"Hey, you'll know when I_ really _start getting serious about it when I stop drinking beer."_

"Oh at least you'll be a _responsible_ mother."

Misato sighed. _"I'll... be sure to tell you if it happens. But for now, let's focus on whether this guy's_ actually _Rits' dad."_

A small chuckle. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

_"I'll try not to."_

The phone clicked off.

"Good conversation, I take." Eliza mused. "So _they_ think he could be my mama's father as well?"

"It _is_ something we should explore." Kaworu thought. "We _were_ giving such information on a silver platter. Might as well _explore_ it."

"So I'm guessing that's what we'll be _doing_ for the rest of the day?"

"Sounds like a plan to me!"

A few beats of silence.

"Where should we _start_." Eventually queried Rei.

"Probably _Carmen_." Asuka shrugged.

"We haven't even _seen_ Carmen since that soccer match." Mused Shinji.

"Football." Asuka corrected, going for her phone again. "Good thing I have her _number_."

* * *

## 3\. Assignment

A phone buzzed. "Hallo?"

_"Hey Carmen!"_

"Ah, Asuka!" She cheered. "What's up? You lot haven't burnt down the house, right?"

_"Not yet."_

A suppressed chuckle. "Good, good. If ya want to know _why_ I've been AWOL for the past few days, I've been on... _assignment_."

_"Yeah, sure."_ Flat. _"The same sorta assignments that_ Kaji _gets up to, I'm sure."_

Another chuckle. "I'm sure you're _used_ to that, then."

_"More or less, helps_ Misato _doesn't get up to that secret spy shit."_ A beat. _"You two didn't get up to anything, right?"_

" _Perish_ the thought! The most we've ever interacted was him paying me for my services!"

A raven cawed close to her.

_"Phrasing."_

"Yeah yeah." Flat. "Just so you know, whatever interaction I had with Kaji that _was_ physical was quite a while ago, before _I_ even started in NERV. So Katsuragi doesn't have to worry about _me_ stealing him. Heh, I'm sure you know _I_ already have someone in my grip, anyway."

_"In your_ mandibles _, more like."_

"Prolly." A small giggle. "So what's the call for?"

_"Something related_ to _said someone in your grip. It's a long story_ why _Tokyo-3 started thinking about it, but they have reason to believe that_ womaniser _of yours might_ actually _be the father of the Subcommander."_

A few beats passed as Carmen thought about it. "I mean, I _know_ Randy was the biggest damn womaniser in both West _and_ East Germany, but... actually, when _was_ the Subcommander of Tokyo-3 born, if you don't mind me asking?"

_"Same year as Misato, so '84."_ A huff. _"The fact you had to_ clarify _the two Germany's means he's_ mature _enough to have been around the possible timeframe he_ could've _banged her mother."_

"Yeah yeah." Rolling her eyes. "So how'd you want me to help them find out? We're not going on _Maury_ are we?"

_"Oh_ God _no, Misato sounded like she wanted to do a_ DNA test _though."_

"Oh. Well, DNA should be easy enough to get from him." She slyly chuckled. "Bit of _elbow grease-_ "

_"I think they just want_ hair _, Carmen."_ Muttering.

"Hmmpf, they're no fun."

_"And maybe if you ever get_ back _from your assignment, we can go to_ another _football match. See if_ we _can squeeze anything from him."_

"Works for _me_. And you _bet_ I'm coming back."

_"Can't resist that_ aged wine _, can ya?"_

"Pfft, you know _way_ too much about me, Asuka."

_"Only because you practically_ told _us."_ She giggled. _"Call back when you're done, mmkay?"_

"I will, don't worry."

The phone clicked off.

And she sighed, returning to her binoculars. "At least _you_ didn't move."

Her perch on Elizabeth Tower was perfect for a spot of spying.

It's a good thing Asuka didn't ask about _why_ she was on assignment, or she would've gone into a small tirade about Kleinier once again getting her to do the _actual_ work.

Then again, it was a good thing she _loved_ this kind of work. "...English Breakfast, feh. What a stupid name for you, Stanley."

* * *


	2. After 02

* * *

## 1\. Gateway

"So which slot does _this_ go in?"

Practically every other plug was easy enough to... well, plug in.

"Is it colour coded or something?"

"No, there's just two of the same slot."

"...Well, I _would_ think you could just plug it in _any_."

She shrugged. "I suppose that works."

The keyboard and mouse were plugged in, the computer now completely set up on the kitchen countertop, cables scattered around. "How much do you need to _operate_ a computer, anyway?"

"Well, hopefully it _works_ darling. Otherwise we're probably out of luck." Zero Two thought. "I imagine Kensuke's _long_ gone to bed at this point in time, and I doubt Ritsuko and Maya would be too happy with troubleshooting for us."

"We'll just have to see, then." A small huff, before turning the computer on.

Fans spun, hard drives clicked, and it beeped once. "I _think_ that's a good sign?"

A few beats passed.

"The screen isn't going on, darling."

"...Oh!"

He turned the screen on, it painting with the boot logo of Windows 98. "Whoops."

"Nice one, darling." Flat. "Should make sure the _speakers_ are on, as well."

"Right." He did just that.

[Just in time for the discordant startup sound to play out.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tajDxBaPBBM)

"I don't even think that sounds too bad, honestly." Mused Hiro. "Tells you it's started, at least. So... what now?"

"These are _discs_." Shaking the spool of compact discs that Kensuke gave them. "It's gotta go _somewhere_ in that computer, one of those _slots_ I reckon."

While they found the handwriting on the discs less than legible, it was easy enough finding what was meant to be Half Life by finding the weird _h_ looking shape.

Zero Two first tried jamming it in a small slot, around three and a half inches wide. "No, too small for _that_."

"What's the button up _there_ do?"

Without knowing what it could do, she pressed it.

A tray popping out. "Ooh _nice find_ , darling. _That's_ where we need to put it!"

Doing just that, the tray soon went back into the computer and spun up.

An installer coming up. "So I'm assuming we just go through _that_?"

"I guess?" She bemused. "I was just expecting to pop it in and play, but maybe it needs to put some stuff _on_ the computer or something."

It was easy enough to get through the dialog boxes. "Okay, it says it'll take a few hours to install."

"A few _what_."

"Hours."

Zero Two's head impacted the counter, her horns making small craters. "So much for playing it _tonight_."

"I'll set up the futon." He deadpanned, leaving the computer. "It _should_ be done tomorrow, at least."

~

Asuka was in the midst of a bowl of cereal, as were the other three in the Tumbleweed. "I can't believe I'm even _thinking_ this, I'm actually kinda _looking forward_ to going through this."

"Amazing how _different_ it is, is it not?"

"It's actually sorta _good_ on us!" Shinji remarked in awe.

"One of the few works that _is_ good on you, from the sounds of it."

" _Finally_ , I say!" The candle exclaimed. "First work we've _ever_ had that hasn't completely _fucked_ us."

"And it started at the end of the world." Flatly thought Kaworu.

"I did say hasn't _completely_ , did I?" Asuka chuckled. "Okay, how about not actively fucking us in the moment?"

"Works for me."

"Let's see if the _next_ few pages will keep this up."

"Oh be _hopeful_ for once, Shin-chan!"

Kaworu couldn't help but chuckle. _'Speaking of, perhaps_ you _would like to join in, Mari.'_

_'...Y'know, I think I m-might.'_ A small beat. _'So... I k-know Rei can do that with h-her other, but...'_

_'Just a matter of_ swapping _, I imagine.'_

_'That d-doesn't make it sound_ less _complicated, A-Ash.'_

_'Well, let's see...'_

He disconnected, and Mari swapped. _'Huh, that_ is _as easy as they make it out to be.'_ An amused notation. _'Introduce yourself, Mari.'_

She was somewhat timid with herself. "Do... y-you guys mind if _I_ join in?"

The conversation stopped, and they turned to Kaworu. "Ah, you wanna see how good things go as well, Mari?"

"Maybe..."

The redhead giggled. "I was _wondering_ when you were gonna get involved. The more the merrier, I say."

The others agreed. "It is good to see you doing well, Mari." Commented Rei, with a small smile.

Mari as Kaworu couldn't help but give a soft smile at these sentiments. "You guys are... _v-very_ welcoming, aren't you?"

"We've been pretty _good_ at that, if I say so myself." Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Still... it's obvious to _me_ that you've been through a lot. And I don't know _nearly_ as much as Rei or Kaworu would. So... maybe this can _help_ with that?"

"I'm sure it would." Kaworu butted in. "Friendship is a _wonderful_ thing. It certainly helped _me_ out quite a bit."

"Of course... it w-was a bit _more_ than friendship, at least with Rei."

The lot snickered. "Still _friendship_ , just with a few more _benefits_." Prodded Asuka. "Like having someone to hold you at night."

"You can already say she has _that_." Thought Eliza. "It's certainly warm with _Rei_. And you're in our situation."

"...That's r-right, _you_ have someone _else_ , as w-well."

Eliza as Rei nodded. "If you're wondering what happened with Sovereign, after Kaworu took you in, he's still in deep rehabilitation." Before she gave a small sigh.

"You _have_ been making progress, at the very least." Rei pondered. "His light is burning brighter with every passing day."

"And yet, I _still_ don't have conscious communications with him."

"It'd... be a s-slow process." Mari reasoned, being the subject of such thing herself. "Getting to t-this point for _me_ was... difficult. But I would've been a l-lot more worse off if not for... Kaworu. I would say you're doing a g-good job, Eliza." With another small smile.

"...Thanks."

With more warmth in the room, and with breakfasts finished, they started the read once more.

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.10: We Met By Chance, But It Was With Good Fortune That We Did **

_Discharge_ **(Page 95)**

A: " _That_ doesn't look like the car we used."

R: "As that is the _apocalypse_ , you are most likely finding whatever car _works_."

S: "Or, instead of using an _electric vehicle_ , we could find a car that ran on a fuel like _diesel_."

E: "I would've thought that SUVs _would_ run on diesel."

M: "At least f-from _my_ knowledge, SUVs and c-cars like that would run on regular _gas_."

A: "Ah, you're _American_ Mari?"

Kaworu as Mari gave Asuka a flat look. "N-Nevada."

A: "Oh. Right." A somewhat embarrassed glance.

K: "I imagine it would mostly be _pickup trucks_ running on diesel, in your case."

A: "Was petrol pushed a bit in the States, Mari? Cause I know at least in _Europe_ , there was a major push towards _diesel_."

S: "Even _here_ , diesel is generally the consumer fuel. Unless you have an _EV_ , of course."

M: "Yeah, n-none of that really _matters_ if you got an _electric_ c-car."

E: "Of course, one of the _issues_ with an electric car that _I_ can see at least, they rely on _infrastructure_. Electrical grids, mass production of electricity."

R: "All things that would not realistically _exist_ in a post-apocalyptic scenario."

A: "And at least _diesel_ , you can make yourself from _plant scraps_ and all that. Or siphon from fuel stations or other cars."

K: "The good thing about diesel in comparison to fuels like petrol, it is rather less _volatile_. It can be stored for longer periods compared to petrol."

S: "Makes me wonder why we didn't just stick with a _truck_."

A: "Maybe because _I_ didn't like the look of them."

... **(96)**

A: "...Am I trying to look like _Misato_ or something?"

R: "It _does_ look similar to her uniform, I would think."

M: "Misato is y-your Commander, right?"

S: "I'm sure you'd know a _lot_ more about that, if you caught the Laserdiscs."

M: "...How many t-times has this _happened_? Getting something from a-another world?"

E: "More than what would be considered normal." A wry reply. "There was around three before _I_ got involved."

K: "Not forgetting the material _Kensuke_ had."

E: "Four, then. There was also Wolk's work."

R: "Eleven works, all up. Six of which involve _us_."

A: "Is that counting our _cameos_ in Gurren Lagaan?"

R: "Nope."

Mari as Kaworu blinked. "M-man, sounds like I missed out on a l-lot."

Chuckling all around. "A lot has happened, hasn't it?"

M: "Considering I've m-mostly been out of the loop since _Nevada_ ha-happened."

A: "I'm sure we can fill you in as time goes on." A small smirk. "Wouldn't be the _first_ time."

S: "So we're not spending the night in the _car_?"

A: "You see how _small_ that car is, right? Even if you removed the seats, I wouldn't be able to lay down in that!"

E: "Hopefully whatever _you_ found would be an acceptable substitute, Asuka."

A: "A long cardboard box would be a more acceptable substitute, Eliza."

... **(97)**

K: "Ah, it _wasn't_ a place to stay."

A: "Still something pretty... beautiful, at least. Don't see them enough, do we?"

S: "The last time I _do_ remember seeing them in _that_ detail was _Ramiel_."

E: "Even _here_ , there is still some light pollution."

R: "As befits a city, it seems."

M: "Of course, now a-all that is _gone_..."

K: "Humanity is always naturally afraid of the dark. Maya put it aptly, 'For the night is dark and full of terrors'."

A: "I think she was just quoting one of her books, Kaworu."

K: "Even so, it's still an apt description. Light allows us to _see_ whatever dangers the night has. The control of fire brought numerous advantages to humanity, and only one of them was the control of _light_."

R: "With light at your beck and call, now the night is not so troublesome."

K: "Indeed. The fire of humanity burns bright, figuratively and literally. So much so it can drown out _other_ light."

S: "Certainly a more _poetic_ way to describe light pollution."

... **(98)**

A: "Makes sense it came from _Rei_ then, eh?"

R: "You know we are ones for _philosophy_." A small chuckle, as she glanced to Kaworu.

E: "Of course, I doubt _that_ Asuka would be up for such thing."

S: "At least _visibly_."

K: "It may be _visible_ , but it would be under forty layers of tsun."

M: "Is _that_ w-what you guys call that attitude?"

A: "Just so you know Mari, I'm nowhere _near_ that bad _nowadays_." Chuckling. "Hell, I think this is even _more_ obvious tsun than usual even for my _Laserdisc_ self."

R: "Even _with_ such attitude, you can see she _cares_ for Shinji."

M: "Oh y-yeah, I got _that_."

_Hotel_ **(Page 99)**

S: "You brought up Rei, didn't you."

A: "Maybe _indirectly_ , but you _did_ mention Rei."

E: "Even _with_ you two being the only people in the world."

A: "Yeah yeah, I _really_ shouldn't be jealous and all that."

K: "Of course, it's not just _him_ thinking about her."

R: "I imagine I would be on your mind most of the time, Asuka."

A: "I'd consider that an _honour_." A small smirk. "Then again, we _did_ have a good discussion before I came back."

M: "Not like there's _o-other_ things to occupy yourselves with."

A: "If I was a lot _less_ closed off to Shinji, I know of _something_ we could occupy ourselves with."

S: "Which would result in _Aki_ in around nine months time."

Asuka snickered. "Okay, might wanna _avoid_ that, then."

R: "There are certainly _other_ ways to occupy yourselves that way."

M: "Man, y'all are _p-perverts_."

E: "Finally, someone who thinks like I do!"

... **(100)**

K: "That's a bit _rude_ , Asuka." Chiding in jest.

A: "Considering _I_ have those tendencies as well." Muttering. "Though _fancy seeing_ Mana and Mayumi again!"

M: "You _know_ t-them?"

R: "They came from _another_ work we read through. Only in _that_ work, they were Nephilim."

E: "And as far as I know, they did _not_ come from video games."

S: "...Hang on, wouldn't this be the first _visual_ we have of those two?"

A: "It _would_ be, Shinji. At least _somewhat_ ; not sure what Nephilim traits can translate to black and white."

R: "And I would _not_ picture Mana in something like _that_."

K: "Well, at least we know to keep a look out for _Second Impression_ and _Girlfriend of Steel_ , in case that penguin decides to throw us a _video game_ for once."

A: "He's _never_ sent _us_ video games, why would he start _now_?"

S: "Maybe if they were just as _traumatising_ as normal." Muttering.

R: "But even though there was a veritable _harem_ for Shinji to choose from, he still sees _you_ in a higher regard."

M: "Though even from _my_ p-point of view, I can see _why_ Asuka would think you _p-popular_ , Shinji."

E: "He _is_." In deadpan.

... **(101)**

R: "I suppose _by default_."

Asuka poked her tongue. "Sounds like I'm _still_ aiming to please him, at least. Even _with_ the billion layers of tsun I still have."

E: "You could've used _much_ less innuendo provoking works for that."

A: "I know."

S: "You shouldn't forget your _own_ happiness, though."

M: "Then again, I'm s-sure if _she_ makes you happy, _you_ can make h-her happy as well."

A: "And he does that _every single day_." With a small smirk.

K: "That should make you _tied_ for happiest people in the world, then."

S: "Well, not like there's anyone _else_."

... **(102)**

A: "...What _was_ my life plan gonna be? Just be lonely all the time?"

R: "I think that is the _tsun_ talking."

M: "Even _with_ that a-attitude, I think there's _still_ some affection to be h-had."

E: "Can't wait." She deadpanned.

K: "Now now, Pengel has been rather _reasonable_ with the fanservice."

S: "In that they had _no_ fanservice."

A: "Much to _your_ dismay, I know." With a smug smile. "Well, I'm obviously dragging you down to the bed for a _reason_ , Shin-chan."

S: "Maybe changing that apparent _bad luck_ of yours."

A: "Heh, you'd wish eh?"

... **(103)**

A: "Still _smooth_ as ever, Shinji." She _dreamily_ remarked.

S: "I don't even know _how_ I do it."

E: "Might as well come _natural_ , by the sounds of it."

R: "The love you feel for her would help."

M: "Even _with_ that a-attitude. Then again, my mama t-taught me if they can't handle your _worst_ , t-they don't deserve your _best_."

A: "God knows _Shinji_ had to deal with my worst." Flat. "But hey, look where we are now!"

K: "About to _do it_ , from the looks of it."

The candle rolled her eyes. "Maybe _that's_ how luck can be transferred between people."

S: "It'd explain how _good_ things ended up."

R: "Perhaps _we_ should have had more sex when we first met." Rei deadpanned.

M: "Ah maybe _that's_ w-why all that happened at Nevada!"

The lot couldn't help but snicker. "Sounds like we're _already_ corrupting you, Mari."

... **(104)**

S: "Bit uneven, ain't it?"

A: "I still need to learn that, Shin-chan!"

E: "Maybe you _will_ learn that, depends what that _fade to black_ is meant to signify."

K: "Perhaps it is simply an indicator it is _night_."

R: "Or they are currently in the midst of carnal relations."

M: "Would they?"

A: "With _my_ attitude, probably not. _Unfortunate_ , I know."

K: "You're close enough to share a _bed_ , at the very least."

S: "Might not take _too_ much longer for us to _collide_."

A: "I'm sure _you_ wouldn't mind our loins colliding together." With a smirk. "Unless we just keep _orbiting_ around each other for another five hundred pages."

M: "Maybe t-that's why it's so long."

Asuka couldn't help but giggle. "Maybe."

_Bed_ **(Page 105)**

K: "I suppose you _aren't_ sharing a bed."

A: " _You_ sound disappointed."

E: "Even so, sounds like you are still having a... _significant_ conversation."

S: "...One that's even grounded in _our_ reality."

R: "You never really _liked_ piloting Evangelion, did you?"

S: "Can't say I did. Only reason I _did_ pilot to start off with was for my father's affection." A small look towards Asuka. "Of course, once I realised I had _other_ people to _protect_."

A: "Pretty much _my_ realisation as well, Shinji." A huff. "You gotta have _something_ to protect, in this world. You and soon enough _you two_ as well became that, for me."

K: "I could say that is the same for _all_ of us. We pilot Evangelion to protect the ones we love."

S: "Certainly a better reason than we _all_ started with."

R: "Thought speaking of, what were _your_ reasons for piloting Evangelion, Mari?"

Mari as Kaworu gave a small huff, at the query, somewhat twinged in melancholy. "Protecting what was _left_ of my f-family, I suppose. Never really had a _s-solid_ reason for it, other than my mom was in t-there."

A: "It's as good a reason as _ours_ , at least."

R: "...Sounds like you _always_ knew that."

M: "They never _explicitly_ t-told me, of course. Same with _y-you lot_ , I would think. But... there was always _something_ within Unit-04, a warmth."

S: "Just like _us_ , from the sounds of it."

... **(106)**

A: "...Heh. I wonder how much of my tsun was chipped away with that, Shinji."

K: "A rather significant complement, isn't it."

E: "One I can _see_ Shinji doing."

S: "One I'm pretty sure I _have_ done before."

A: "Wouldn't even surprise me, Shinji. And it wouldn't surprise me if I completely _swooned_ over those words."

S: "Such words would be _completely genuine_ , Asuka."

She couldn't help but blush.

M: "Looks like y-you're making her _swoon_ right now, S-Shinji."

A: "...He's _really_ good at that."

R: "Heh. Why do you think we like _pushing_ you two together."

S: "Good to hear you _ship_ us."

M: "Is _that_ what that's c-called?"

A: "It's what _some_ people call it. I know _Bond_ called it that."

K: "Shipping refers to having two people in a relation _ship_."

A small beat, before Mari as Kaworu _groaned_ at the pun.

E: "Yeah, that was our reaction as well."

R: "And we can see _Pengel_ obviously ships the two of you, as well."

A: "Like most of the universe, it seems."

... **(107)**

M: "Looks like _there's_ that t-tsun."

A: "There's either _two things_ that happen when dealing with someone like me. One, it's slow work chipping away at all the masks. Or _two_ , it _all_ comes off at once."

E: "The latter is what happened _here_ , I take."

A: "You _bet_ , Eliza." With a small smirk. "Which _I think_ is better."

S: "It certainly sped us along, didn't it?"

R: "Though in your defence, you did not have _much_ time."

K: "At least after the end of _everything_ , you actually have _time_ to take the slow route. If desired."

A: " _I_ wouldn't desire the slow route, but what do _I_ know about my mental state _there_?"

M: "Well, the way _I_ s-see it, whatever you say is the _opposite_ of what you feel."

A barked laugh. "Yeah that's probably a good _summary_ of a tsun, Mari. At least until they get through those _masks_ of yours."

S: "I wonder if _I_ can see that."

A: "Probably not; you _were_ pretty dense before I just up and _kissed you_ , Shin-chan."

S: "You literally said the _opposite_ of what one would expect if they liked someone."

R: "At least _now_ you understand the proper procedure for dealing with a _tsundere_."

... **(108)**

A: "Heh, looks like those words _did_ get to me, at least."

M: "Not that you'll _a-admit_ it."

A: "I'm sure _one day_ I will. But for now, you get to deal with my _tsun_ side, Shin-chan!"

S: "That's not exactly a _negative_."

E: "I'm sure he'll enjoy his time with you _regardless_."

A: "I know." With a small blush.

**(Page 109, 110)**

"It's still evident you _love him_ , at least."

"Yeah... hopefully _you_ see that as well, Shinji."

"I think I do." With a soft smile. "It's just how you show your love for me."

The candle chuckled. "I'm much less _tsun_ towards you nowadays, Shinji. More of the _dere_ , I'd say."

"A fact I'm sure _Shinji_ wouldn't mind."

"You _should_ keep him on his toes, at least." Thought Rei. "That is what I do with _Kaworu_ , after all."

"Even _then_ , you've cut down on the threats to kill me."

"Wait _what_?" Mari butted in.

"Offspring of Adam and Lilith never got along that well, at least _historically_."

"You guys are practically the _exception_ to that, y'know."

"And you two, as well." Chuckled Kaworu. "You can count as well, Mari."

" _I_ wouldn't c-call myself a tsundere. Hell I don't know _w-what_ I'd be called."

"What best describes your personality, Mari?"

"Probably _perky_ , at least b-before I became a Nephilim. Of course... I never really p-paid _attention_ to that. Never really had many people to _interact_ with, a-after all."

"Well, I can certainly see _some_ sort of attitude in you." Remarked Asuka. "Not like that's a _bad_ thing."

"Heh. M-maybe I _am_ getting better."

"The company of others _does_ help with such thing, Mari." Noted Rei. "Seems that is _still_ holding true, for you."

"W-we shall see, at least."

And so they moved to the next 'chapter'.

~~~

** 2.11: One Day, The Hearts Piled Up **

_Bare Necessities_ **(Page 111)**

A: "Heh, I'm sure a bit of jewellery _would_ cheer me up."

M: "You'd probably t-think it a _proposal_."

R: "They _are_ the only people left on the planet. So they do not have many _options_."

K: "And indeed, you two got married in _Wolk's_ work."

E: "Don't you need a _celebrant_ for such thing?"

Shinji shrugged. "We managed in _Wolk's_ work."

A: "Though I like how you _still_ said 'excuse me', even though there's literally _no one else_ there."

S: "Gotta maintain common courtesy, don't I?"

K: "A part of me wonders what this _unwell_ feeling is."

A: " _You_ try being one of two people on the planet without feeling sick. _Despite_ what I'm saying."

M: "You probably didn't e-even _say_ it to Shinji. He's just doing it from w-what he can see."

A: "He's pretty _good_ at that, admittedly."

... **(112)**

A: "As I suspected."

K: "It _would_ be quite the confronting thing to experience. Such places are supposed to be _bustling_ with life and sound; now there is nothing."

R: "As with most things in life, you do not know what you had until it is gone."

M: " _I_ certainly have e-experience with that."

E: "I wonder if Shinji will see you that _upset_."

A: "Probably not. I'll bury it again once he gets close to me, knowing _her_."

S: "You _are_ going through a bit, though."

A: "I know _here_ , I'd spill it all to you. But _they_ haven't broken through those eleven billion layers of tsun I apparently had."

R: "At the very least, you are _modest_."

A: "I think _too_ modest. Who the hell wears a long sleeved shirt under a _dress_?"

M: "It'll prevent a-any _accidents_ , at least."

E: "Much to Shinji's dismay." Wry.

... **(113)**

K: "Did you think you _upset_ her, Shinji?"

S: "Maybe."

A: "That or you just apologise a lot. I know _here_ I had to practically _beat_ that out of you."

E: "You did a good job, from the looks of it."

R: "At least we can see you _do_ actually care for him."

M: "Just outside of his e-earshot."

A: "Though now I'm wondering, what _did_ you get to cheer me up, Shinji?"

S: "Well... we can always go to the next page and find out."

... **(114)**

Asuka couldn't help but chuckle. "Will you _dance_ with me, Shinji?"

S: "It'd help cheer you up."

A: "You're right about _that_." A small smile.

K: "Shinji's right about _that_ , of course. Everyone has to cry sometimes."

R: "Otherwise you are just bottling it up. Which is _never_ a good thing."

E: "Which is something _you guys_ don't do anymore, at least obviously."

A: "We _all_ spent _way_ too long bottling our feelings up. And you just have to look at the _Laserdiscs_ to see what happens when that bottle _breaks_."

M: "I think _my_ b-bottle broke _long_ ago." A small huff. "At least _you guys_ are t-trying to glue it back together again."

A: "Hopefully it's _working_ , Mari."

S: "Maybe we _should_ find a stereo. Actually, did I find _batteries_ for that, as well?"

R: "I would _hope_ , otherwise Asuka is about to be very disappointed."

... **(115)**

Asuka couldn't help but give a soft chuckle. "Ain't _that_ convenient, Shinji."

S: "It's a song we know _well_ , at least."

R: "One that would bring back memories of a better time."

E: "If you could even _call_ that a better time."

K: "It was certainly better compared to _this_."

M: "That Angel was _I-Israfel_ , right? I always wonder h-how you two synchronised like that."

A: "Ah, I shouldn't be _surprised_ you ended up seeing that. But yeah, we had to do _everything_ together."

S: "Eating, brushing teeth, sleeping. Practically the only thing we did _separately_ was going to the bathroom or bathing."

R: "And training on a dance machine."

M: "You guys u-used a _DDR_ machine to train o-on?"

Shinji and Asuka nodded. "More or less."

M: "That's pretty _sick_." A small chuckle. "W-why couldn't _I_ get trained on a d-damn _video game_."

R: "You did not even have a _simulator_?"

M: "Nevada had _acres_ of d-desert to use. I d-don't think they saw a _point_."

K: "You might as well use what you have at hand." He thought. "Of course, you _would_ lose some more _complex_ scenarios, in comparison to a simulator."

A: "Not like _our_ simulator was anything _good_ , at least before they _overhauled_ it."

E: "As far as _I_ know, it was only overhauled _after_ the Seele incursion."

A: "Mhm. I don't even know _how_ you guys had such a _crappy_ simulator; the German facilities were _much_ more in-depth."

S: "You think my father would invest in something like _that_? Actually getting us good enough to _not_ get destroyed by the Angels?"

A: "Right, fair point."

_Dance For Me_ **(Page 116)**

K: "You can say that all you want, Asuka. We _know_ you like him otherwise."

A: "Even _without_ seeing how smitten I am with him normally." A small chuckle.

M: "At least such thing _might_ g-get through that tsun."

R: " _You_ certainly sound hopeful."

Asuka barked a laugh. " _I'm_ kinda feeling that too, though. I'm sure _eventually_ you'll get through to me, Shinji."

E: "A good dance would certainly _help_."

S: "It _does_ , in our experience." A small smile.

A: "That's _another_ thing we tend to do on birthdays, eh?"

R: "You two are good dancers, you know."

A: "Ah we know." Scratching the back of her head.

K: "Let's see you dance, then."

... **(117)**

E: "Looks like you're _enjoying_ this."

A: " _Finally_ , she needs to _smile_ some more."

K: "We can certainly see _that_." He couldn't help but smile himself.

R: "Dancing together _does_ help two people get closer to one another. It is all a matter of _synchronising_ with them."

S: "That was pretty much _Misato's_ thought when she had us doing this, wasn't it?"

A: "It _worked_ , obviously." She smirked. "Can't deny it got us _closer_ together."

M: "Looks like it's h-having that same effect _here_."

K: "They are _already_ close."

A: "It's just my _attitude_ isn't making it obvious I _like_ him."

R: "Your incessant denial of your like for him implies you _do_ like him. I do not even _need_ my Sight to see that."

E: "It helps Pengel is _obviously_ pushing them together."

A: "It was obvious from the _cover_ , Eliza."

M: "Does the u-universe just _pair_ you two t-together or something?"

Asuka and Shinji nodded. "As we said, there was _one_ work where we ended up in different pairs."

A: "And _that_ universe was fundamentally _different_ in order to compensate for such thing."

M: "I don't even know if I s-should call that _lucky_ or n-not."

R: "They have to work _hard_ for it. The universe does not simply give them one another on a silver platter."

S: "We had to literally fight _Seele_ in order to get it."

E: "Still _are_ fighting Seele."

A: "And you can bet we'll _still_ fight them to keep each other safe!"

... **(118)**

The group couldn't help but laugh at what ended up happening. "Shinji you klutz!"

S: "I'm sure _she'll_ say that as well."

R: "It _was_ going rather well."

E: "Can't have _that_ now, can we?"

M: "I think a-after _all_ that happened, you two _should_ h-have some happiness."

K: "They _have_ had some happiness. In fact, _despite_ this, I'm sure this happiness will remain."

A: "...At the very least, it'd let me know Shinji _does_ care for me." She smiled. "Hopefully it can get me to drop a few masks."

K: "I'm sure it _will_. If you _know_ you can trust him completely."

E: "Then again, not like she has anyone _else_ she can trust."

_Complement_ **(119)**

S: "Thing is, I _might've_ done that."

A: "Well, it _worked_." A small smirk. "Even _if_ I'm seeing right through it."

M: "So much for g-getting those masks to drop."

E: "I think it's rather _obvious_ , this will be a _slow_ process."

A: "Oh yeah, as I said. It only works one of two ways: all at once or one at a time."

R: "Though it _would_ cascade, after a while. We know it was slow _before_ you two had your kiss."

K: "Such thing also happened _there_ , as well."

S: "It _was_ pretty much luck we did what we did, wasn't it?"

Asuka gave a single chuckle. "Maybe that damn penguin _tripped_ you or something."

M: "Should I k-know where this penguin comes f-from?"

R: "Not to spoil it, but it was something that happened in a work we read."

A: "One that apparently _disappeared_."

M: "How does a w-work like that just _disappear_?"

S: "Misato is _blaming_ said penguin."

A: "Wouldn't even _surprise_ me, Shinji."

M: "So what, God is a-actually a _penguin_ or something?"

E: "You could at least use it as an _explanation_ for why all these materials come through to us. A mischievous penguin god who loves seeing us suffer."

Mari as Kaworu blinked. "This w-world kinda sucks."

A: "And there's a _lot_ worse worlds out there, Mari."

... **(120)**

A: "Good to see you _are_ taking that as a complement, Shin-chan." A huff. "It's about the friendliest a tsun can be, after all."

R: "I would say you were _more_ tsun than what would be considered usual."

K: "Maybe Instrumentality affected that."

A: "It'd affect a lot _more_ than whether I was more tsun or not."

E: "We can even see that in _this_ work."

M: "Though _y-yeah_ , you two _are_ taking this k-kinda well, aren't you?"

S: "Not like we can _do_ much else. No point thinking about what _could've_ been; you just have to _keep moving forward_."

A: "And moving forward we _are_." Chuckling. "Sounds like you made good progress with me today, Shin-chan!"

M: "You make it s-sound like you're from a _dating s-sim_."

A: "With the fact Mana apparently came from a game called _Girlfriend of Steel_ , I wouldn't be surprised if I _was_ in a dating simulator. And the universe just hasn't given us the _pleasure_ of being objectified like that."

M: "Guess I should be glad I'm _n-not_ in any of that stuff."

Everyone glanced between one another.

M: "... _I_ _am_?"

Everyone nodded.

M: "...Huh. Man I g-gotta _see_ that now."

... **(121)**

A: "Ah! We _did_ get somewhere, Shinji!"

R: "A good start, I would think."

S: "A shame doing a Cello performance might not work."

A: "I'm sure it _will_ , that's just me saying it won't."

E: "I'm sure _that_ will tell him you _do_ like him, though."

A: "Oh it _will_ , that's what a kiss did _here_ , after all."

K: "At least when you _aren't_ blocking his nose."

A: "I wasn't an expert at that back _then_." A small huff.

M: "I would expect b-being able to _breath_ was important."

A: "Yeah, well we were _all_ bumbling around our relationships, weren't we?"

R: "Not like _any_ of us knew how a relationship worked."

A: "Considering you almost gave _Kensuke_ a heart attack _several_ times, while you were trying to figure it out."

R: "It was either him or Shinji, and I doubt _you_ would have appreciated such thing at the time." A small chuckle. "It ended up well for _him_ , at the very least."

K: "I'm sure _many_ people would think ending up with _two_ people was a good thing."

M: "He _what_?"

E: "Yeah, Rei helped him form a _triad_."

M: "...H-how?"

R: "Admittedly, it started off as a way to help hide the relationship of the _girls_ , since _they_ are in love with one another."

A: "And Kensuke kept that _hidden_. Still does, in fact. Which is actually rather _noble_ of him, certainly gave _me_ a better opinion of him."

M: "Is that particularly _frowned upon_ in J-Japan?"

S: "It's not _illegal_ or anything, just frowned upon by society as a whole."

A: "A good thing _we_ don't give a shit about what society has to say."

M: "Cause I know in _America_ , even getting _m-married_ like that is legal, at least in _civil_ c-ceremonies."

K: "I recall we _did_ discuss the laws of America were much more... _liberal_ than most countries."

M: "Combination of p-post Impact attempts to stop the population from p-plummeting and most people just not _giving_ two s-shits about that sorta thing. Who _cares_ about all that, we're all just trying to _survive_ in a post-a-apocalyptic world."

R: "Tell that to _Japan_."

**(Page 122)**

"Well, we actually had quite a bit of _progress_ this time around, Shinji!"

"Maybe in three hundred pages time, you'll be where you were just after that kiss."

Asuka chuckled. "Going at it _slowly_ has its merits, Eliza. At least when you have the _time_ to go slowly."

"Which... you sure d-do, don't you?"

"And without _anyone_ to interrupt you."

"At least for _now_." Kaworu thought. "If no one ends up returning."

"Which I would _think_ was unlikely, but considering it sounds like in that _other_ work, no one else returned."

"And I know at the end of _Kimigabuchi's_ doujin, someone _did_ return from Instrumentality."

"So we know they _can_. It is just whether they _want_ to leave what you _could_ classify as a heaven."

"Just without a concept of the self."

"...A-as long as you can _remember_ who you are. Then you're y-yourself." Mari philosophised. "Just gotta remember... Something _I_ c-certainly need to work more on, I feel."

And so they moved on to the next section.

~~~

** 2.12: Human Touch **

_Jetty_ **(Page 123)**

M: "Good to see we start out with _a-attempted murder_."

A: "It's only attempted murder if he can't swim."

S: "I can't swim."

A flat look from Kaworu or Mari.

R: "It is a good thing _railings_ exist."

E: "Still, I wouldn't _call_ that a good start."

A: "Yeah, well this is just how a tsun works."

K: "I don't ever recall you pushing Shinji into _water_. At least outside of _teaching_ him."

S: "At least you'd probably _save_ me if I did start drowning."

A: "Pfft, _probably_? _Definitely_ , more like."

R: "She would not let the only other person in this world _drown_."

... **(124)**

A: "...Ah, we're _leaving_?"

K: "That would be the _reason_ you are near the ocean, yes."

M: "Leaving on _w-what_?"

E: "Hopefully not that boat in the corner, down there."

S: "A boat like that _might_ be alright, not like we have to contend with _other_ boats, or even _customs_."

R: "There are still the _waves_ to deal with."

K: "Either way, it is quite the _significant_ thought, is it not?"

R: "Certainly. Leaving the land that was your home for as long as you lived, to parts unknown."

A: "And we know how _Japan_ was like, after the end of everything."

S: "If anything, I'm sure _other_ nations are less wrecked, compared to Tokyo-3."

M: "And once you get to the _continent_ , y-you should just be able to _trek_ the r-rest of the way." A beat. "Where a-are you going, again? I... think I m-missed that part."

A: "Germany."

M: "...That _is_ a b-bit of a trek, admittedly."

Asuka huffed. "I'm sure _vehicles_ would help, of course."

... **(125)**

E: "That's also fair enough. You've _already_ decided on this course."

K: "No point changing your mind _now_."

A: "And we might as well, I'd think. No point sitting in one place all the time, might as well _explore_ the world while we can."

S: "...Even _if_ we never come back."

M: "At _this_ point... there isn't r-really anything _left_ for you guys. Is t-there?"

S: "Which is _another_ fair point."

R: "As we say. Keep moving forward. You have a _plan_ , you have something to _do_. So _do it_."

S: "...Y'know, if we ended up in a situation like that. I think I'd make that same decision."

A: "As I said, you might as well, eh?"

... **(126)**

A: "Gee, _thanks_ wind."

M: "That happened w-when you first met?"

A: "Yeah." A small smile.

S: "Which you then _slapped_ us, as a viewing fee."

M: "Sounds fair enough."

Asuka giggled. "Yeah, remember we didn't have our _relationship_ at that time."

E: "I'm sure _nowadays_ , he can get it on the house."

A: "Oh he gets a _lot_ more on the house." A sly chuckle.

K: "A fact we _all_ know."

R: "At least you were able to hold your dress down, this time around."

A: "Then again, not like there's anyone _else_ around to see me."

... **(127)**

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised I'm reacting like that."

R: "You know yourself best."

E: "And one wonders why Shinji doesn't prod you as often."

A: "Ah I mellowed out a bit. I only _slightly_ berate him nowadays."

S: "And you encourage me to be a bit more _assertive_. As I'm _trying_ to do."

M: "Well, if _you_ c-can dish it out, you gotta expect _something_ t-to be thrown back at you."

K: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

A: "I _still_ need to learn that, obviously." A huff. "See, _nowadays_ I wouldn't react like that if Shinji threw some shade my way. You gotta be _moderate_ with that sorta stuff."

S: "You have plenty of time to learn, at least."

A: "Heh, see what I mean? I'm sure _you_ can _eventually_ defrost your ice queen, Shin-chan."

_Read_ **(Page 128)**

M: "Don't do those f-fleeting glances, I would think."

A: "They probably _wouldn't_ be fleeting if I treated him somewhat better." She huffed.

R: "It would not surprise me if he _did_ have a lot on his mind."

S: "And I didn't feel confident enough to _express_ them."

A: "With how I've _been_ like, I'm not surprised."

E: "You'll just have to _convince_ him otherwise."

K: "She _has_ been doing that, of course."

A: "Only I'm like a damn _metronome_ , eh?" Her hand flipped back and forth. "Tsun, dere, tsun, dere; I was never _that_ bad, was I?"

S: "You weren't, don't worry."

Asuka sighed. "That's good to hear, at least. Now if only _she_ got the memo."

M: "You don't _l-like_ seeing yourself doing that to Shinji, do y-you?"

A: "Not at all. And... it just serves to remind me how I treated him _before_."

R: "And yet, he still fell for you." A small smile. "He _does_ love you, no matter what."

A: "...Yeah. He does." She shared the same small smile.

... **(129)**

S: "...I mean, _now_ I'm thinking of that."

A: "Heh, I know you probably _weren't_ thinking of that when we _first_ met."

E: "I'm sure his mind was occupied with that _slap_."

A: "Though it _is_ pretty easy to read what you _do_ want, Shin-chan! Even _without_ that sense you two have."

K: "Such thing shows how _close_ you two are. You know what one another feels, don't you?"

She nodded. "Of course, I'm sure _you two_ are even _closer_ than we are."

R: "Sharing your soul tends to have that effect." A small smirk.

M: "It wouldn't s-surprise me if you _did_ think something a-along those lines when you first met her, S-Shinji."

S: "I _did._ " A small chuckle. "You were _stunning_ , and you're _still_ stunning."

A: "Heh, doesn't surprise me you _never_ saw anyone like me, Shinji. Of course, if I knew you were thinking _that_ at the time, it would've required a bit more of a _tax_."

K: "Given how you taxed _Toji_ for what he did."

A: "That was a rather _deliberate_ action, which deserved immediate and just retribution."

M: "What _did_ he d-do?"

A: "In reply to me slapping him for seeing under my dress, he _pantsed_ _himself_." Flat. "You can understand, then, why I kicked his family jewels like they were a _football_."

Mari couldn't help but giggle, "Yeah that's understandable."

... **(130)**

K: "I'm sure you'll _win_ this, Shinji."

R: "Considering you have _already_ been good to her, thus far."

A: "As we said, whatever my tsun says, think the _opposite_ of that."

E: "If your tsun even _wants_ to admit you love Shinji."

M: "That s-stubbornness has to stop _eventually_ , r-right?"

A: "He's certainly _waned_ it some, in the past."

S: "Just have to get to you, don't I?"

A: "Which you're _really_ good at, eh?" Prodding him with her elbow. "You know _exactly_ how to handle me, Shin-chan!"

R: "That is _something_ consistent with most worlds, at least." With a small smirk. "Considering it seemingly requires upending the entire _universe_ to prevent."

M: "That doesn't s-sound like a _bad_ thing." With a small chuckle. " _I_ certainly w-wouldn't mind if the universe paired me with s-someone I liked."

R: "Well, you like _Kaworu_ , do you not?"

M: "...I mean, it's kinda _h-hard_ to call it pairing. I just sorta fell i-into him. And _you_ certainly claimed him a w-while ago, didn't you?"

R: "Good thing I can _share_." She softly smiled.

Much to Mari as Kaworu's blush.

_Your Next Line Will Be..._ **(Page 131)**

K: "I imagine that was the _obvious_ answer."

S: "It's only what you constantly thought of me, after all." With a sly smile.

A: "Heh, you knew my line!"

R: "Did she not _expect_ it?"

M: "We'd have to see her r-reaction to find out."

E: "It probably _was_ that, I would think."

A: "Knowing _me_."

... **(132)**

A: "Well congratulations, Shin-chan, you knew what I was thinking!"

E: "Now for the _kiss_."

A: "Yes I'm sure you'll _all_ be happy to see that." Flat.

M: " _I_ am personally i-indifferent to it."

R: "At least there is _one_." With an amused huff. "Perhaps you will learn like us to _ship_ those two together."

S: "As if the universe wasn't already enough."

K: "Can't say we _haven't_ done a good job so far." He chuckled. "I'm sure you will make _good_ on that wager, Asuka."

A: "I may be an asshole, but I'm not a _dishonest_ asshole."

R: "And we know from the _Laserdiscs_ , you _do_ like him enough to do such thing."

A: "It _was_ the whole point of the kiss, after all. To see if he liked me back."

M: "Good thing it went the w-way it _did_ , then."

S: "Especially knowing what _could've_ been."

... **(133)**

M: "Man, not even _going_ for t-that kiss?"

S: "I'm not the most _wilful_ person on the planet, Mari."

A: "You _can_ be, Shinji! What was that thing you did with _Rei_ when you _ended the world_ to get her back?"

M: "He did _what_?!"

R: "This was in a Rift Material."

M: "My point s-still stands!"

E: "Either way, it looks like _Asuka_ is wilful."

A: "I wasn't _not_ gonna make good on that wager, Eliza!"

K: "Even _if_ it goes against your tsun."

R: "Perhaps _that_ is why she did it as a bet. That way, she can see it as making good on a bet instead of doing it out of any love she may have for him."

A: "How much more _tsundere_ can I be? Even in _reality_ , I wasn't _that_ bad! Maybe."

... **(134)**

Kaworu couldn't help but smile. "Even _with_ that tsun, you can still _breach_ those masks."

R: "That looks like a _lot_ more passion than one would expect from settling a wager."

A: "It's almost like I _love_ Shinji or something like that." Stroking her chin in faux thought.

E: "Who could've guessed."

S: "At the very least... it's _more_ progress with us. Eh Asuka?"

A: "Heh. You bet, Shinji."

M: "So... it sound like y-you two _didn't_ move this slow in _t-this_ world, right?"

A: "We practically fucked the first night we came together, so yeah we moved a _lot_ faster."

S: "In our defence, we waited a few days until we went _all the way_."

A: "And _that_ was mainly due to me almost _dying_ to Leliel, so I think we get a free pass for that."

Mari blinked. "Yeah in any other circumstance I _would_ c-call that moving quickly."

K: "It worked out for you two, at the very least."

A: "Yeah, certainly no denying _that_ , eh?"

_Settled_ **(Page 135)**

R: "And all for a bet." A huff. "Apparently."

A: "Yeah, _apparently_."

E: "Good to see _everyone_ sees otherwise."

M: "It _is_ pretty o-obvious, ain't it."

A: "So how many more times do you think my tsun will stop us from completely coming together, like we did _here_?"

S: "How many pages are left in this work?"

Asuka snickered at Shinji's jab. "That's not good for _you_ , Shin-chan!"

K: "Might not even be good for _us_. There's only so many times we can discuss about your tsundere."

A: "My _excess_ tsundere more like." Muttering. "Hey Eliza, can you keep count of the times I've been like that?"

E: "I don't know how _accurate_ it'll be but I can sure _try_." She huffed. "The tsun counter is currently at 133."

The candle looked back to the work. "Oi, that's just the page count!"

Eliza gave a smug smirk. "That was easier than I thought."

... **(136)**

M: "Oh that'll _r-really_ do her in, Shinji."

A: "And I bet he _knows_ that, as well." She chuckled.

S: "It's _true_ , as well."

E: " _That_ might do _her_ in." A small smirk.

Especially as Asuka gave a small blush. "Idiot."

R: "Not to the extent I would expect of _that_ Asuka, but certainly to an extent I would expect of _this_ Asuka."

A: "I _do_ like being complemented." With a smile. "As most people do, I would think."

K: "Of course, there are your _filters_ to consider."

A: "Yeah. All seventy billion of them." A wry comment.

... **(137)**

E: "Knew it."

A: "To be fair, it's a bit of an _obvious_ conclusion."

M: "At the very least, there is a _l-little_ bit of progress with you two."

A: "Got _that_ going for us, at least."

R: "And has had been said, you two have _plenty_ of time to make something between the two of you."

K: "I'm sure she _appreciated_ your complement at least, Shinji."

A: "Even _if_ I don't say it."

S: "Ah I'm pretty good at _reading_ you, am I?"

M: "It's how you _got_ t-that kiss, after all."

**(Page 138)**

"So, a _bit_ more progress, but I _still_ have a long way to go." Asuka thought, after a small chuckle at Shinji's apparent exhaustion on this page.

"I suppose there _has_ to be a reason for the length of this work."

"So there will be seven hundred pages of you and Shinji orbiting one another, maybe two of you coming together, and a single page epilogue showing you with Aki the Second."

"Sounds like a plan, Rei!"

"Who _was_ Aki a-anyway?" Queried Mari. "I... gathered it was a _kid_ of yours."

"From a work we've read." Shinji couldn't help but smile. "Wolk's work, you would've heard us compare it to."

"...Ah, you had a kid in the p-post-apocalypse?"

Shinji and Asuka both nodded. "I'd say we did a pretty good job _raising_ her, all things considered."

"We were also pretty _lucky_ in Wolk's work. Kaworu managed to get us _back_ to the past, _before_ all that happened."

"To give you three another chance, yes." A smirk. "Might not have been able to _live_ , but as long as the world ended up fine, that's fine by me."

" _I_ certainly did not appreciate you dying _again_." Rei muttered.

"It's a habit, apparently." Flat. "At least in _this_ work, I have already died. What is dead may never die, after all."

"That was _another_ thing Maya said!"

~~~

** 2.13: The Faint Sadness of Rainy Days **

_Rain Come Down_ **(Page 139)**

A: "Oh wow it's _raining_ there for once."

S: "Japan isn't a _complete_ desert." Rolling his eyes. "It rained a short while ago, didn't it?"

R: "Not for three days _straight_."

M: "You guys haven't b-been to New England, obviously."

K: "I recall _some_ of our comrades visited _Massachusetts_ for hardware testing."

E: "I don't recall them commenting on the _weather_ , at least."

A: "I think that's because they were too preoccupied with the _Evangelion_ , and the fact they found _Rift Material_ of us."

M: "Ain't _that_ c-convenient."

K: "You can see why we think it's _someone_ giving us these materials, then."

... **(140)**

R: "Good to see you are using this time wisely, Asuka."

A: "Yeah yeah, tell me something I _don't_ know about her." Flat.

E: "So this is _already_ on your journey?"

S: "There _do_ exist house boats."

K: "Or maybe it's just a nicely furnished _regular_ boat."

A: "It's better than a damn _tin skip_ , at least."

M: "Maybe if you guys w-were a bit _closer_ , there'd be _other_ ways to w-ward off boredom."

A: "I'm sure if Pengel was egregious with the _fanservice_ , they'd do such thing."

R: "A good thing they decided to shield our _innocent_ eyes from such thing."

A small chuckle from the candle. "Yeah, how _kind_ of them."

... **(141)**

K: "I mean, _I_ wouldn't think that was something dirty."

E: "A mere reminiscence on halcyon days."

A: "It depends if he's focusing more on _Rei_ or on what she's _wearing_."

R: "I do look _good_ in that, at least."

M: "I'm assuming you're making _t-tea_?"

R: "Tea is an acceptable drink. I do not drink it often, however."

S: "It _does_ take a bit of effort to make. At least any _decent_ tea."

A: "Ah the _bagged_ stuff can be alright, I guess. It's all we'd _have_ at the moment, at least."

K: "And you might as well have it before it expires. Unless you find yourself in a tea plantation."

A: "Which I think is _unlikely_. Unless we end up in... where _is_ tea made, anyway?"

K: "Originated in China, though India made the majority of the world's tea before their nuclear exchange with Pakistan decimated their industry. And of course, there is a fair amount of tea being made in _Japan_."

A: "Ah so we _might_ come across a tea plantation, then."

... **(142)**

Asuka couldn't help but giggle. "Thing is _I_ know that wouldn't be what you were thinking of."

R: "He obviously got far enough for me to be comfortable wearing barely anything around him."

E: "You barely wore anything around him anyway."

S: "Good to hear that _still_ haunts me to this day."

R: "At least you had the opportunity to _redeem_ yourself." With a small smug smile.

M: "What, did you accidentally t-trip and land on her _breasts_ or s-something?"

K: "That is _exactly_ what happened, Mari." A small huff. "A true comedy of errors."

Mari barked a laugh, "Man that _would_ h-have been awkward!"

Shinji hid his face, trying to hide his embarrassment.

R: "It was not _that_ bad in retrospect, Shinji."

A: "You didn't even _slap_ him for that or anything, Rei!"

This didn't help him.

_Halcyon_ **(Page 143)**

R: "...Hmm. I am wondering if this was _before_ you weened me off the drugs."

K: "Do you not recall this?"

R: "Either I cannot recall it, or it did not happen."

A: "Probably the _latter_ , considering apparently Shinji met Mana _and_ Mayumi."

E: "Probably did a lot _more_ with those two, as well."

S: "No _wonder_ you think I have a _harem_ , Asuka."

A: "A _lot_ of people pine over you, Shinji." She chuckled. "Hell, I think the only people here that _don't_ actively pine over you are _Eliza_ and _Mari_."

E: "He's a friend, but I most likely wouldn't have... _relations,_ if I wasn't stuck in Rei's body. No offence or anything."

Shinji shrugged.

R: "And I am sure you guys have barely even _met_ Mari. Not to mention she pines for _Kaworu_ , instead." With a smug smirk.

M: "...Bit o-obvious, isn't it."

R: "Quite."

... **(144)**

S: "Not helping, Asuka."

A: " _I_ know that wasn't how it went." A small huff. "Though... it sounds like you still have _some_ longing for her."

R: "Perhaps if I was not drugged up, or otherwise suffering, I would have been able to _express_ such thing."

S: "...Maybe if _I_ knew, as well."

E: "Though at least you _were_ fond of her."

M: " _That_ adds a new l-layer to things, though."

K: "That was put aside, at the very least."

R: "...Of course, we know what happened to make you... _terrified_ of me."

S: "Made _him_ terrified. I've long since _accepted_ that aspect of you, Rei."

R: "Which... I do appreciate."

Asuka sighed. "I wonder if that'll give _me_ a new perspective on you two."

... **(145)**

The redhead chuckled. "Wouldn't be surprised if you thought me a _burden_. God knows I'm _horrible_ on you."

S: "You're not so bad, Asuka."

E: "I'm sure he would love you regardless."

R: "We have _seen_ he does love her regardless."

A: "...Which just makes _my_ attitude all the worse."

M: "A good thing he seems p-persistent, then."

S: "Like _all_ of us, really." A soft chuckle. "We _all_ had to work hard to get where we are today."

The group seemed to agree with him. "And that is what _they_ have to do."

K: "But at least they have _time_."

_Irreplaceable_ **(Page 146)**

Asuka couldn't help but blush. "...Heh. Good answer, Shinji."

S: "It's true."

The blush continued.

M: "Looks like your _o-other_ self is struggling to come up with a comeback, as w-well."

E: "It'll probably be something along the lines of 'What are you, stupid'."

A short snicker at the jab. "You guys know her too well, eh."

R: "How else _would_ she react?"

K: "Unless that broke through a few more of her masks."

A: "I'm sure he'll strike gold _eventually_. Even in Wolk's work, we didn't fall for each other _immediately_ , did we?"

R: "It was a few months before you two got married, if I recall correctly."

M: "That's _still_ kinda f-fast, but I suppose that _would_ have b-been an apocalypse like _that_ one."

E: "And I doubt that much time has _passed_ , so far."

A: "So we _still_ might get married in a few months, then. Not that _either_ of us would mind that."

... **(147)**

K: "Ah, _something_ has broken through your tsun."

E: "You could've _easily_ said something else to him."

A: "...And yet, I practically admitted my _love_ for him."

M: "Sounds like the ice queen is _t-thawing_ out."

A: "Heh, it's taking me long enough."

S: "Moving slow isn't _that_ bad."

A: "Yeah, at least we're getting _somewhere_ , Shin-chan!"

R: "It seems the best way to get through to a tsun is to be _saccharine_."

A: "I mean, I _love_ it when Shinji's sweet with me, so it _works_."

K: "He _did_ write you a few sonatas, after all. If _that_ isn't love."

M: "Damn no _wonder_ you l-love him, Asuka."

A: "...He's certainly _dedicated_ , eh?" With a small smile.

... **(148)**

A: "It's more than I _admitted_ of our relationship, at least."

R: "A good start, I would say."

M: "Even _if_ it seems a b-bit... one sided?"

A: "That's just because I'm even _more_ tsundere than usual."

E: "You're making it sound like such an attitude is a _medical condition_."

A: "I mean, my attitude _was_ massively influenced by all the shit I went through as a young child, so it probably _can_ be linked to at least a _mental_ condition."

M: "I'm guessing I don't _w-want_ to know about what happened."

S: "...We've _all_ been through stuff like that, but..."

A: "Yeah, it _was_ pretty bad." A short sigh. "But... it's better nowadays. I got Kaworu to thank for that."

K: "I was not going to _leave_ your mothers behind, you know."

A: "I know... that's just what you two do, eh."

R: "You _did_ say we were your insurance policy, did you not?"

A: "Heh. I suppose that's true in many _more_ senses, eh."

M: "You... managed to get your m-mothers out of the Evangelion?"

A: "Through a freak happening, yeah. I... suppose that's more than you got, Mari."

M: "...To say the least. I d-don't know _what_ happened with Unit-04 after I... well, _died_. P-Probably the _worse_ , knowing Seele."

R: "We cannot know for sure. But that also means there could be a _chance_."

M: "...Yeah. I've already c-come to terms with it, myself. I thought my mom died when they p-put her in Unit-04, after all. Wasn't the _first_ t-time."

A small silence.

E: "I suppose horrible times just come with being Evangelion pilots."

K: "Something we _all_ know."

**(Page 149)**

"At least _they're_ cheery." Asuka thought, somewhat melancholic.

"Sorry for m-making you guys upset..."

"Ah it's fine, Mari. We're a sad lot, anyway."

"We have a _lot_ to be upset about, to say the least." Spoke Rei. "But that is the human condition, after all. You cannot have _just_ the good, same as you cannot have just the _bad_. There is always light in darkness and darkness in light."

"We do our best to maximise the light, but... there's just some times where something happens."

"But the darkness just makes the light seem all the more bright." Continued the computer, having dealt with such thing recently. "I'm... sure we _both_ know this, Mari."

"...I suppose t-that means the universe owes me a _serious_ debt of h-happiness."

Somewhat amused laughter from the group. "It is a good thing _we_ are here to help facilitate this."

"Which... I do appreciate." Mari as Kaworu quietly spoke.

"That's very good to hear." Kaworu as Kaworu quietly replied.

"At least for _me_ , this work is doing a decent job at that."

"...Yeah. I can s-say the same for me, as well."

Smiles all around. "Good to hear you're _enjoying_ yourself, Mari. God knows you _need_ it, eh?"

And so they started the next chapter.

~~~

** 2.14: Alone Again, But You Can't Turn Back **

_Vanish_ **(Page 150)**

Asuka _immediately_ knew what she was doing. "God damn it."

M: "What... _would_ you be d-doing?"

A: "Hiding, I bet."

E: " _Testing_ what he'd do, maybe?"

K: "And how he'd react."

S: "...If _Wolk's_ work was anything to go by, it'd be desperation."

A: "...And then a lot of _anger_ , on your part." She sighed. "I _still_ don't know what the hell was running through my mind when I did that."

R: "As Eliza suggested, perhaps it was a _test_."

K: "And we know after you did _that_ , you _never_ did it again."

A: "After how _angry_ Shinji was at me..."

... **(151)**

E: "Does he think you fell overboard, if you _are_ on a boat?"

A: "That's... yeah, that wouldn't surprise me."

K: "Or she otherwise _left_. Judging by the spill."

R: "Which I _know_ Asuka would _never_ do."

S: "...I never had that great self-esteem, so it's not surprising I _might_ be thinking that."

M: "So she _hasn't_ disappeared?"

A: "It'd be a depressing hundreds of pages to go through if I _did_."

... **(152)**

A: "...Well, at least it sounds like it wasn't _intentional_ , on my part."

M: "It shows he _c-cares_ for you, at least. If he was... _that_ d-desperate to your apparent disappearance."

R: "It is something I am sure he would do _here_ , as well."

A: "It's something _I_ would do, if that happened here."

S: "...And I've _already_ done that before, haven't I?"

A: "...Yeah. You _really_ don't like the idea of losing me, do you?"

K: "I don't think _any_ of us want to."

R: "...Same if any of _us_ happened to disappear, as well."

E: " _I_ certainly know that well."

S: "Though... I probably could've looked around a bit more before jumping to conclusions."

_Worrywort_ **(Page 153)**

A: "...But yeah. I understand completely why you're like that, Shinji."

Shinji sighed. "I don't like being alone. Same with _all_ of us."

Murmurs of agreement. "And... you thought _she_ might have disappeared."

K: "Exactly what happened in Wolk's work, as well. When one of you _disappeared_."

M: "My... point s-still stands, then."

E: "Maybe this hug can convince you he _does_ love you."

A: "Or... maybe to stop being like _that_ with him. Since _I_ know he doesn't like that kinda thing."

R: "It took your Wolkian self a similar event to learn his _boundaries_ with that thing, as well."

A: "...I _still_ don't like how it took _that_ much to make me learn that."

K: "You understand _why_ he reacted like that, then."

A: "But... at least I didn't _intend_ to test him."

... **(154)**

S: "It _is_ kinda silly, isn't it."

A: "But something _we_ understand. You're... exactly the same, as you said."

K: "After being _alone_ for so long, and getting to experience what it's like with others... yeah, you _wouldn't_ want to go back."

R: "Of course, it would not help we are _all_ co-dependent on one another."

M: "I would kinda _expect_ c-codependence in at least _their_ situation. Being the _l-last_ people on Earth."

E: "Even _here_ , you guys are." She noted. "Which I understand. You four share a special bond with one another."

A: "...No wonder Misato wanted to _protect_ such bond, eh." A small huff. "But... yeah. At least the way _we_ are, we can support one another if something happened. But with just the _two_ of us..."

K: "Rather understandable why you two fell for one another so hard. As far as _you_ knew, you were the _only_ ones to understand."

R: "At least until they realised _we_ were much the same."

A: "Then we just added _you two_ on." A small chuckle. "Still... being lonely is kinda horrible. Something we _all_ know, to some extent."

M: "God knows _I_ know t-that."

... **(155)**

R: "Good to see you are handling it with a rather _soft_ touch."

A: "At least relative to how she's _usually_ like."

K: "It's certainly _something_ , at least."

M: "...Looks like _you're_ u-upset about it as well, Asuka."

A: "Wouldn't surprise me if _that's_ where it finally got through my thick skull that he really _does_ care for me."

E: "Similar to _Wolk's_ work, from the sounds of it."

S: "...Shows my emotional state, doesn't it."

A: "Doesn't help I'm _still_ being a bit of a cow."

... **(156)**

K: "I'm sure that _would_ put him in good spirits."

R: "That, and having to check on _dinner_."

A: "It's _distracted_ you from all that, at least." She sighed.

S: "Don't blame _yourself_ , Asuka. It's just me overreacting."

A: "I can't help but _feel_ bad, though. Even _if_ I didn't intend it."

E: "Rather understandable. You don't _want_ to hurt his feelings."

M: "Does _anyone_ , with s-someone they're close with."

K: "But you _did_ end up cheering him up, at the very least. You didn't just brush it off."

A: "...Got _that_ going for me, at least."

... **(157)**

A: "Oh for fuck's sake it _was_ intentional?"

R: "Deliberately making it out like you were taken."

K: "...Yeah, I probably _would_ call it going overboard."

S: "It... certainly isn't a _good_ thought."

A: "...Sorry."

M: "It's not _your_ f-fault."

E: "Though... maybe you can use this as a turning point for _that_ sort of thing."

R: "Just like Wolk's work."

M: "There's quite a few _p-parallels_ to that work, from the s-sounds of it."

S: "It _is_ a rather similar work. Both involved Asuka and I living post-Impact, alone together."

A: "Hell, the us in Wolk's work and the us of _this_ work are practically the same people from the _Laserdiscs_ , aren't they?"

K: "With ever so slight differences. Thus pushing you onto a _different_ path compared to Wolk's work."

A: "...Heh. I wonder if you'll come to take us back again, Kaworu."

K: "It would depend how much Pengel wish to take from Wolk." He wryly remarked.

Much to Asuka's snicker.

**(Page 158)**

Before she sighed again, seeing the lonesome Shinji looking into the night sky. "...The past few chapters have been kinda downcast, haven't they?"

"Par for the course, for _our_ world." Rei thought.

Much to Asuka's huff. "Sure _seems_ like that."

"As... has been s-said. Can't have light without d-darkness."

"And this is just an example of this." Noted the fish. "If this was all just Shinji and Asuka being happy with one another, that is not realistic."

"It's difficult to call such a scenario they are in realistic to begin with."

"And yet, it is a _possibility_ , for this world. A possibility we have to work hard to _prevent_."

"I kinda _like_ this world, after all." A small chuckle from Shinji. "Sure, it can be _hard_ at times, but there's a lot of _good_ in this world. Took me a while to learn that."

"Took _all_ of us a while to learn that. But _once_ we learnt that, _man_ was life worth living again."

"...Something _I_ s-still need to learn, I feel."

~~~

** 2.15: A Promise For The Future **

_Back to the Past_ **(Page 159)**

E: "Well _this_ is obviously a flashback."

K: "It _does_ show Misato alive."

A: " _And_ me in that damn uniform."

M: "At least _with_ t-this being a flashback, you two c-can see if you _remember_ this."

S: "With how she's like, it wouldn't surprise me if she _was_ late in taking us out."

A: "And yeah, all the tests kinda blended together after a while. God knows if we _would_ remember her taking us out for _ramen_."

R: "She is making it sound like a _decent_ restaurant, at least."

A: "Y'know what's _also_ a family restaurant? _McDonalds_."

S: "I can see her doing _that_ as well."

M: "Not even a _g-good_ one, at that." With a small huff.

... **(160)**

A: "Maybe so, but she does it anyway."

S: "I'd say she's gotten _better_ , after becoming Commander."

R: "Now you know she will _always_ be preoccupied with other things."

K: "Especially when the UN get rowdy."

M: "That's h-her car? Looks kinda like a _F-Fiero_."

A: "She _has_ talked about importing a Pontiac from America, God knows _why_ , but that'd just be her _Renault_ I imagine."

M: "...That's a fucking _Renault_?"

A barked laugh from Asuka. "I know, right?"

E: "Not a good car in your eyes, Mari?"

M: "Sounds like _y-you_ don't have a high opinion of GM, A-Asuka, but French cars are... _way_ more t-terrible than just about _anything_ w-we make."

A: "Oh yeah, I'd rather buy a damn _Chrysler_ than anything that comes from France."

Kaworu was about to prod this line of thinking.

A: "And not just because I'm _German_ , Kaworu." Rolling her eyes.

... **(161)**

K: "We know _when_ this conversation should've taken place, at the very least."

A: "It _didn't_." As she thought back. "After _Matarael_ , Misato wasn't even _home_."

S: "I'm pretty sure _I_ cooked dinner that day."

R: "Like most days."

E: "And yet there are _still_ thoughts about the Angels."

A: "Like most days." She huffed.

M: "At least _nowadays_ , it's _l-less_ of a worry."

S: "Unless you're referring to Kaworu."

K: "I am certainly not a _bad guy_ , of course."

A: " _I_ certainly know that. Maybe _she_ just has to meet you, eh?"

R: "Rather a shame you two did not even cross paths in the Laserdiscs."

A: "Hard to cross someone's path when you're _catatonic_."

M: "I d-don't wanna ask, do I?"

A: "No, you don't."

... **(162)**

S: "Oh you _want_ the world to end?"

A: "Right after bashing _you_ for apparently wanting that."

M: "So... you were like that, b-back then?"

A: "Mmhmm, _still_ a bit bold and brash but I've tapered off a bit. In my opinion."

E: "Of course... in the Laserdiscs, you had to learn all that the _hard_ way."

R: "Even _here_ , it was not all sunshine and rainbows for _any_ of us."

A: "I _wish_ it was, of course. But then again, if it _was_ , I might not've met _Shinji_."

K: "The same opinion we _all_ have, I would think. Were it not for _everything_ we went through... we may not have what we have today."

R: "...Makes it _worth_ all the struggle."

... **(163)**

S: "Gee, thanks."

A: "Damn it why does it have to keep _reminding me_ of that!"

M: "At _that_ p-point, you two were just _asking_ to be the o-only people left."

K: "Dramatic irony is funny like that."

E: "Why would you _not_ use Kaji as the slave labour?"

R: "Because Asuka back then was _obsessed_ with him."

Asuka grumbled. "And _she's_ still obsessed with him, as well."

M: "A crush you don't like t-to be _reminded_ , from what it sounds."

A: "He was my guardian for _years_ , Mari. He's practically my father, he certainly _did_ more fathering than my actual father did after that _Hurrentochter_ of a nurse got to him. So yeah, _I_ really should've seen him as a father figure instead of a crush, but I suppose we _all_ have our mental quirks and features, don't we?"

_Pinkie Promise_ **(Page 164)**

S: "Well, I suppose that's the first time we've seen _Hikari_ in this."

A: "I take it she _likes_ that soul soup."

R: "I would assume as long as she was with _Toji_ , she would be fine with it."

E: "It's a good thing you _did_ promise that, I suppose."

M: "Can't deny it c-came in _handy_."

A: "Even though it wasn't even _meant_ to happen, was it?"

K: "And yet it did. But hey, never hurts to be _prepared_ for whatever may happen."

S: "Even the end of the world." With a chuckle. "I'm pretty sure we _all_ have contingencies if that happens."

A: "My contingency is to relegate it to Rei and Kaworu." She shrugged.

R: "And _our_ contingency is either to _stop_ it, or failing that, _recover_ from it."

M: "It's a-about all you _can_ do, I imagine."

E: "Not like it _should_ ever happen, but I wouldn't say it _can't_ happen."

A: "Because _otherwise_ , it _will_ happen. Good thinking."

S: "Seems _we_ didn't think that."

... **(165)**

K: "I never heard _that_ version of it."

A: "It's a bit more _extreme_ that cross my heart, yada yada yada."

M: "Still involves _n-needles_ , at least."

S: "Only needles in the _eye_. Which is _still_ kinda horrifying to think about."

R: "Kyoko's version was better, in my opinion. 'Stick a cupcake in my eye'."

E: "It'd _still_ be sorta painful, I imagine."

A: "At least you can _wash out_ a cupcake."

K: "Either way, it _prevents_ you from breaking this promise. Even _if_ it'll never come to pass."

S: "Often the _threat_ is enough."

A: "And knowing _that_ Asuka, she could make good on that."

R: "You are not _that_ extreme."

... **(166)**

They couldn't help but chuckle. "At least _Misato_ is trying to stay positive."

K: "A shame this _all_ came to pass, then."

A: "Maybe she _knew_ about Murphy's Law."

S: "That us saying all that would _cause_ that?"

M: "...I mean, l-look what _happened_."

E: "Maybe she had a _point_."

Another chuckle. "Probably. Considering _what_ happened."

_What Happened_ **(Page 167)**

A: "...And especially considering it's just _us two_ , now."

K: "It looks like you're _remembering_ this promise, at least."

E: "It _does_ seem like a significant promise. Especially considering all that happened."

S: "Maybe you're wondering how it all literally _happened_."

A: "And how I'm kicking myself for probably _causing_ it." A small huff. "...Hopefully Misato is enjoying her time with _Kaji_ , at the very least."

R: "...Speaking of, your Laserdisc self might not even _know_ what happened with Kaji."

K: "I... believe she _was_ told. By _Shinji_ of all people."

A: "Yeah... and it was just one of the many things that caused my _complete_ _breakdown_."

M: "...I mean, judging by h-how you're reacting, it's almost like you don't t-think he's dead."

A: "I probably don't. Even when Shinji told me in the Laserdiscs, I didn't want to believe it. Maybe... some things got lost in my mind when I came back."

R: "In all likelihood, it is still there. Just... waiting to come back."

A: "...Maybe if I realise that, I could stop crushing on him so badly."

... **(168)**

Asuka couldn't help but smile at the scene, of her hugging Shinji. "...At least I'm learning to appreciate _you_ , Shinji."

K: "He certainly _did_ keep that promise. Without _Kaji_ , of course."

E: "But you most likely don't _need_ him."

A: "He isn't even _attracted_ to me. Which is a _good_ thing, mind you."

M: "It'd be a bit _w-weird_ if he was."

A: "Not that I even _understood_ that at the time. _Now_ I do, and it _disgusts_ me to think back on that and recall yes I _did_ think that."

R: "And to think you disparaged Misato for _possibly_ feeling that way for Shinji."

A: "Yeah yeah, wouldn't be the _first_ time I was a complete hypocrite. And before you ask, Mari, the _only_ reason our guardian even _thinking_ about that in the Laserdiscs was because Shinji and her were _both_ going through some serious shit."

S: "...I think that was the _only_ way she could think of comforting me, at the time. Not that I even _wanted_ it."

R: "Of course... we know she _does_ love you, and us. Such love was rather... _corrupted_ in the Laserdiscs."

K: "Mental trauma can do such thing. Especially when there is nowhere else to turn to. At least _here_ , we are able to rely on one another to be our rock."

A: "And we _tried_ , in the Laserdiscs. Just in all the _wrong_ ways."

M: "...Good thing it e-ended up _better_ here."

E: "We wouldn't even _be_ here if that wasn't the case, Mari."

... **(169)**

A small chuckle. "Yeah, I'd _definitely_ keep that promise."

A: "It's not _so_ bad. You get to be with _me_ , don't ya?"

M: "Else he has to e-eat a thousand needles."

E: "That applies to _you_ as well."

K: "And now he's been _reminded_ , I'm sure he will _strive_ to keep this promise."

R: "Which he would have done _anyway_."

A: "Does eating the thousand needles apply if one of us _dies_ or something? Cause _that_ technically means I'm leaving you alone or something."

S: "Maybe I can just stuff a thousand needles into your mouth before burying you. _That's_ a bit of a morbid thought." Shivering in disgust with himself.

A: "Well, guess I just have to not die then!"

**(Page 170)**

"I suppose such thing would only make her cross _more_ significant." Thought Kaworu.

"It _was_ through her we were able to live together, after all." Chuckled Asuka. "Even _here_."

"We _all_ have a lot to thank her for. She also helped facilitate _our_ relationship."

"She's rather _generous_ like that." Shinji huffed. "Despite the fact it keeps her awake at night."

"I'm sure she was _m-more_ than happy to let you go for a few weeks."

"Yes I'm sure she is using her time with Kaji _very_ wisely." Muttered Asuka. "She complains about _us_ keeping her awake, but she goes and does the same exact thing when _he's_ sleeping with her."

"I imagine this _escalates_." Flat.

Asuka snorted. "You'd be right, especially if _those two_ get involved as well."

"At the very least, our AT-Fields can act as _mufflers_."

"When we _want_ them to." Suggested Rei.

"I can understand why our folks wanted to go on vacation." Deadpanned Shinji, as they moved to the next page.

~~~

** 2.16: A Dream, And Thereafter **

_Bear_ **(Page 171)**

M: "Wow _that_ was q-quick."

The lot laughed at the jab. "I wonder whose _dream_ this is, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "Could be _either_ of ours, y'know."

A: "Oh I know." A small smirk. "At least this is probably pleasing _Lilith_ over there."

R: "...Perhaps."

Asuka giggled. "You're a natural born perv, Rei. Not that _I_ particularly mind."

E: "Doubt _Kaworu_ there minds that, as well." Prodded Rei's sister.

A: "Still, if it's _either_ of our dreams, that says quite a bit, doesn't it?"

K: "Even more so if it's _your_ dream, Asuka. It signifies you _do_ want this sort of thing with Shinji, despite your outward tsun."

A: "Should've been obvious _before_ , I'd think." A small huff. "Don't need to see me pregnant to know _that_ , do ya?"

S: "Don't let _Misato_ see this, she'd be _livid_."

A barked laugh. "I'm sure I'll call it Misato Jr in her honour."

... **(172)**

S: "Gee, thanks."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Either way, they'll be beautiful I'm sure."

R: "A mother's love is _always_ greater than looks, and even _actions_."

K: "You can simply look at _Elfen Lied_ for such thing. Even if they _know_ they'll end up dead, they would still _raise_ their child."

E: "Love's wonderful like that, isn't it."

M: "At least _Shinji's_ all w-willing to take care of the kid."

A: "As he would." A small chuckle. "Even _without_ that whole 'taking responsibility' thing Japan has."

S: "Because I love you." With a smile.

A: "Now now, I don't want to name our child after what _Misato_ wants."

... **(173)**

A: "Oh Christ, _twins_?"

K: "Could be worse. They could be _triplets_."

M: "Or it c-could be like on the _Simpsons_ , w-where Apu and... his wife had _octuplets_."

A: "I remember that, Jesus Christ I can't even _imagine_ carrying that much."

R: "Not the best episode, from what I remember."

A: "Simpsons was kinda slipping in quality, anyway." She shrugged. "Maybe it's a _good_ thing Second Impact stopped it."

S: "Better for it to stop before it got any worse?"

A: "Yeah. How the hell did we get to _Simpsons_ from this?"

M: "Whoops."

E: "Either way, I am sure they _would_ be beautiful."

R: "Unless this is where the dream becomes a _nightmare_."

A: "If you just jinxed it I swear to God."

... **(174)**

Rei huffed. "Apologies."

A: "Oh you're not _that_ bad."

E: "Though _how_ could they have your look, Rei?"

K: "This _is_ a dream, after all."

M: "I think it's m-more the fact they had _none_ o-of your traits. Almost like they were _R-Rei's_ kids."

S: "Hence... your reaction."

A: "I suppose it makes sense _that's_ her nightmare." Shaking her head. "Though I _would_ have questions if that happened."

R: "Especially since it would be _your_ children. The _only_ way that would happen is if you and I somehow swapped eggs."

Asuka shrugged. "I can think of weirder things that could happen to us."

_Wake Up_ **(Page 175)**

A: "Oh wow it really _was_ my dream."

K: "It was very much a nightmare for _you_."

A: "If that happened here, I'd just be more _confused_ honestly."

R: "You had a child where _I_ was the biological mother. That _would_ raise a few questions."

S: "Ritusko would probably _faint_ at how that happens."

A: "That or she'd be interested in such thing with _Maya_."

Chuckling all around. "I'm sure _Eliza_ wouldn't mind having a sibling or two."

E: "...It'd certainly be _interesting_."

M: "Least _Shinji_ looks l-like he's sleeping alright."

A: "He'd probably be dreaming much of the same thing, I imagine." With a chuckle.

K: "Unless he figures you somehow _know_ what he's dreaming about."

A: "Oh I'm not _that_ tough on him."

... **(176)**

More heartwarming snickers. "Using him as a _heat pack_ , Asuka?"

A: "He's _really_ good at that, after all!"

M: "I wonder if he'd _appreciate_ b-being used as that."

S: "Gets me _closer_ to her, doesn't it?"

K: "As they say, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

A: "Unless said gift horse threatens to kick you in your own mouth."

E: "The fact you're even _doing this_ means you probably _won't_. Unless _he_ wakes up first, and starts complaining about it."

R: "Or you claim plausible deniability about it all."

A: "Oh that I _somehow_ ended up in his bed in my sleep, just like before _Israfel_."

S: "At least _now_ , I'm not _denying_ you."

A: "Helps you're asleep." With a cheeky grin.

... **(177)**

Now the snickers were of the amused variety. "As Kaworu said, Shinji."

S: "Gods know _I_ wouldn't complain about that."

M: "Would _a-anyone_?"

K: " _He_ would." An entertained huff.

R: "Once again, you are _denying_ your subconscious."

A: "Still need to learn to _accept_ myself, eh?"

E: "I'd say you were _slowly_ doing that."

Asuka huffed. "It's _progress_ , at least. And _Shinji_ here needs to learn to _appreciate_ whenever I decide to use him as a _space heater_."

S: " _I_ learnt that a while ago."

_Your Ad Here_ **(Page 178)**

M: "What the h-hell is _this_?"

R: "Advertisements."

K: "Most likely those of the _fictional_ variety."

E: "Unless the NERV of _that_ world has done merchandising deals."

A: "At least they aren't _fanservicey_ , so far. Not sure if that person down there is Rei or this _Yui_."

S: "A _different_ Yui."

R: "You know where I am from, right?"

K: "At least Pen-Pen is being a normal genetically enhanced penguin for once. And _not_ a God."

A: "I need to get myself a deer figure of you, Shin-chan!"

S: "Or just dress me like a deer."

Asuka beamed.

E: "Way to sign your Christmas away, Shinji."

... **(179)**

A: "Oh a _fashion model_ , now?"

R: "You were not even _born_ at the time this should have happened."

M: "Maybe s-she went back in time to do a _photo s-shoot._ "

S: "Least it's _nice_ clothing."

A: "Yeah, I'm not posing in a _bikini_ or _lingerie_. Not that anyone _here_ would mind."

E: " _I_ might have some qualms."

K: "I don't think it even _rains_ enough to warrant advertising such thing, anyway."

... **(180)**

K: "Ah we're _both_ puppeting you, Shinji?"

E: "Should be _Rei_ as well."

S: "It's kinda accurate."

M: "You two look kinda _y-young_ in that."

A: "Fitting for an apparent _princess maker_." Scoffing. At least the _other_ material seem somewhat more reasonable."

R: "At least as reasonable as one can expect from merchandising involving us."

... **(181)**

R: "Speaking of _unreasonable_."

A: "See that little _H_ right there? I can bet that's _all_ we need to know about that right there!"

M: "What about the... what even _is_ t-that?"

K: "It looks like a Unit-01 _kangaroo_."

A: "Pff they didn't even get _my_ Eva?"

E: "I think the fact it looks like an _animal_ is enough to warrant it being strange. What even _is_ a kangaroo anyway?"

S: "Australian."

E: "I wouldn't recommend being _that_ close to it, then."

Chuckling all around. "At least the _lower_ image seems somewhat reasonable."

... **(182)**

A: " _Still_ don't know what those prototype girls are."

S: "I though they just spelt your name _wrong_ first of all, but looking _closer_."

A: "Yeah it's not me at all! It's like they put my hair on Hikari's body."

R: "Not to mention there is _still_ another Yui."

K: "Who looks rather _like_ Yui Ikari."

M: "Maybe that's a _y-younger_ version?"

E: "...If you can classify your mothers as being the _prototype_ pilots."

A: "Oh so this is an alternate reality where _they're_ the teenage pilots with the mental issues?"

R: "I cannot help but find such a scenario _curious_ , at least."

K: "It's distracted you from the _doll_ , at the very least."

A: "Oh yeah _that's_ a bit of a shitty thing as well!"

... **(183)**

The lot guffawed at the NERV-ified advertisements. "I don't think _anyone_ in Japan will buy from somewhere with _his_ face on it."

R: "It would most likely get vandalised. Even _in_ Japan."

K: "At least we have some examples on what it may look like if UCC decided to get NERV sponsorship."

S: "I don't think Misato would _like_ having her face plastered on coffee cans."

A: "Yeah she'd want sponsorship from _Sapporo_ or _Kirin_."

M: "I g-gather you'll _never_ work in fast f-food?"

A: "Maybe if I was a _normal_ teenager, I would've." She shrugged. "Can't exactly make time for working at McDonalds or Burger King when you're dealing with NERV stuff, eh?"

E: "I don't think NERV would even _want_ you to work elsewhere. Not when they're meant to be _protecting_ pilots."

K: "If you _were_ to work for McDonalds, rest assured NERV will make it the most _secure_ McDonalds in existence."

A: "And probably run it into the ground doing that."

R: "All the more to encourage you _not_ to work elsewhere."

~~~

** 2.17: Momentary Wedding **

_Searching for Happiness_ **(Page 184)**

K: "Hmm I wonder what'll happen in _this_ chapter."

A: "Once again, similar to what we did in _Wolk's work_."

M: "I don't recall _t-that_ song."

S: "Probably something from Japan, I'd think."

E: "Not like _radio_ would work, so it'd be on tape."

R: "Of course, you two have _left_ Japan, apparently."

K: "Even judging by the _car_ , you are not in Japan."

A: "I dunno, the cars _here_ are small enough where that could work."

... **(185)**

K: "Thanks Asuka." Flat.

A: "Are you driving a damn _FIAT 500_?"

Mari as Kaworu audibly gagged. "Do you g-guys know what _acronym_ Fiat s-stands for?"

S: "It's an acronym?"

A: "'Fix It Again, Tony'!" Asuka exclaimed. "And I bet that sound effect was it _breaking down_ ; you guys probably don't know how complete _trash_ Fiat cars are."

E: "Seems like there's very _few_ cars that _aren't_ terrible, according to you."

A: "Pfft, maybe if said companies actually make _good_ cars, I'd be more preferable towards them."

R: "What car brands _would_ you consider, then?"

A: "Anything from Volkswagen: Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen itself, hell even _Skoda_. Mercs and BMWs are unreliable after like _five years_ and more often than not driven by complete assholes. And you guys know my opinion on _Opel_."

K: "I wouldn't call _Maya_ that."

R: "What about _non-German_ brands?"

Asuka had to think about this. "I've heard decent things about _Ford_ but I haven't seen enough of their cars to form a solid opinion. I guess _Toyota_ seems reliable, if boring." She shrugged.

M: "Ford's probably the m-most _reliable_ of the American c-cars, at least compared to GM and Chrysler. My father d-drove a _Lincoln_ when I was around, basically a more u-upmarket Ford. I'd compare it to how _A-Audi_ is like to Volkswagen."

A: "I didn't even know Ford _had_ another marquee, is that American only?"

M: "As far as I k-know."

S: "At least this talk is distracting you guys from my singing." He flatly remarked.

... **(186)**

Speaking of flat, a tyre on the Fiat fell flat. "Hah!"

E: "It's not the _engine_ , at least."

R: "Any car is better than _no_ car, as well."

M: "Good to see you're _h-helping_ him, Asuka."

A: "I probably think it a _man's_ job. Which I wouldn't know _why_ , cause _I'm_ kinda fascinated with cars."

S: "It's just _neither_ of us know how to deal with one."

K: "Then again, _none_ of us have even so much as _driven_ one."

A: "We can pilot _Evangelion_ , it can't be _too_ difficult!"

R: "Your Wolkian selves said much the same thing, if I recall."

S: "We actually are doing somewhat _alright_ with driving, in this work."

A: "Yeah, kinda strange, eh? Considering we've _never_ driven."

M: "What better time to s-start than the _end of the w-world_."

... **(187)**

R: "That is generally what a crucifix implies, yes."

A: "Something you don't see _too often_ in Japan, at least."

K: "Not that you would even _visit_ a church, nowadays."

A: "Not _my_ fault God decided to _fuck me_ for my entire life."

M: "Kinda _understandable_ y-you two are on bad terms."

S: "Wouldn't surprise me if _you_ were as well, Mari."

M: "With h-how much i've been s-screwed over, yeah."

E: "I suppose that's where the _marriage_ will take place, at the very least."

S: "That's practically all churches here are used for anyway."

K: "Try telling that to Kyoko's father."

_Mass_ **(Page 188)**

K: "The world feels a lot more empty without people, doesn't it."

A: "...Sure does. Though I don't think it _was_ a mass."

R: "A _wedding_ was suggested, so they were most likely there for such thing."

S: "At least, _before_ they were interrupted."

E: "I know marriage is meant to be _binding_ two people together, but Instrumentality is a bit _overdoing_ it, I'd think."

A: "Just a tad."

M: "At least it's f-free clothing for you."

Asuka chuckled. "I like your thinking, Mari. I doubt much of that even _fits_ me, anyway."

S: "The _gown_ might."

A: "Yeah, I'm sure _you_ wouldn't mind seeing me in such a dress, Shin-chan."

... **(189)**

M: "Jeez it r-really _was_ right in the middle of it."

K: "You even have a _ring_ , Asuka."

A: "It's certainly a lot more... _complete_ a wedding than we had in Wolk's, at least."

S: "If we even get married."

R: "Why else would Pengel _mention_ marriage?"

E: "To bully Shinji some more, perhaps?"

A: "I wouldn't be _that_ low, right?"

K: "I know _you_ wouldn't."

A small huff. "Good to hear she's _already_ given you that impression."

... **(190)**

A: "I mean, even _with_ the wedding day being the happiest day of your life, I'd still want _more_ days like that."

R: "I am sure there are _other_ days that could qualify as the happiest."

M: "When your c-child is born, for one."

E: "Asuka doesn't want _that_ , of course."

K: "Who's to say she wants _this_ , then?"

A: "I think I wouldn't _mind_ such a thing. Not like we exactly have a _choice_ , eh Shin-chan?"

S: "Would you even _choose_ anyone else?"

A: "Nope! And you _bet_ I'd vow all that and _more_ to you, Shinji."

K: "Sounds like _you_ were happy to see this place as well, Asuka."

A: "A bit." With a coy smirk.

... **(191)**

A: "Well, at least I _was_ happy to see this."

K: "Such place _would_ remind you of that promise. Especially with there being a _wedding_ held."

R: "Even _if_ you disparage such an idea to Shinji himself."

A: "Of course I'd do it to _Shinji_. Can't have it look like I love him, even though she really _does_ love him."

M: "Even t-though you being there in the first place _is_ a s-sign you love him."

E: "Else you could've just _stayed_ in the LCL sea."

A: "Which _I_ wouldn't have liked."

S: "Looks like _she_ wouldn't have liked it as well, at least."

A: "Heh, she _does_ love you, Shin-chan. Her tsun just makes it hard to _show_ it. But at least now I can say I was never _that_ bad."

_Wedding_ **(Page 192)**

K: "Heh, looks like you two _might_ reach that point in your relationship."

R: "As in Wolk's work."

A: "At least we have a _church_ , this time around."

S: "I'd say it was a bit _less_ scenic, compared to getting married in front of _everyone_." A small huff. "You _do_ look stunning in that, though."

Asuka poked her tongue. "Maybe in due time, you'll be seeing me like that for real, eh?"

E: "I'd question _why_ Shinji felt nervous at this prospect."

K: "But you can understand his potential trepidation."

A: "I'm pretty sure _you_ were the one to suggest marriage in Wolk's work, right?"

S: "Pretty sure, and that ended up alright, didn't it?"

M: "...How _would_ you get m-married in front of everyone?"

A: " _Loverboy_ over here arranged the wedding ceremony at that LCL sea where everyone was. So we _can_ say we were married in front of _everyone_."

S: "Even if no one could _officiate_ it. Y'know, being _dead_. More or less."

M: "...That sounds _both_ r-romantic and kinda _disturbing_."

A: "Yeah probably, but it was a nice gesture." She smirked.

... **(193)**

A: "Well, at least you can't complain about a _church_ , Mari."

M: "What about the dresses and s-suits of long dead people."

E: "Or the fact you're wearing the headpiece of said dead bride to be."

A: "Ok so there's _some_ complaints."

R: "Not like the standards of moral behaviour would apply in an _apocalypse_ scenario, like post-Instrumentality."

S: "She _apologised_ to the bride, at least."

A: "Yeah, so that's just _fair trade_ at that point."

K: "Much like Wolk's work, this would simply be a _symbolic_ affair."

R: "A very _important_ piece of symbolism. And even _without_ society, who is to say they are _not_ married?"

M: "I know m-marriage is a bit of a _legal_ t-thing. But what happens w-when that stops _existing_?"

R: "Exactly. So if they _say_ they are married, they _are_."

E: "It all depends if Asuka says _yes_ to all this."

A: "I _started_ it, didn't I?"

... **(194)**

A flat stare towards Eliza.

E: "Apologies for not having a Murphy detecting daemon." She deadpanned.

K: "Seems she thinks differently to your _Wolkian_ self."

R: "They were still married rather _young_ , in Wolk's work."

Asuka simply sighed at this affair. "Guess I really _am_ that low to string you along like that, Shinji."

M: "And this was _after_ that incident w-where it looked like you were _raptured_."

A: "Don't exactly treat him right, eh?" Huffing. "Kinda makes me wonder how _I_ got him in the first place."

S: "Because I love you and you love me?"

Asuka softly smirked. "Yeah. I... was never _that_ bad to you, right?"

Shinji shook his head. "Never. You always had a fire to you, but I _know_ you never wished to _hurt_ me with it."

A: "That's... good."

A small beat passed. "...Well, this made me feel like shit."

E: "I wouldn't think there were much of this chapter left."

A: "That's good, at least."

... **(195)**

K: "I suppose _you_ could've officiated their wedding, Rei."

R: "If it happened, perhaps."

M: "You're still _s-smiling_ , at least."

R: "Indeed. Perhaps I know she _does_ love him, as he loves her."

A: "I'm just a complete _bitch_ about it. Taking you for granted like I'm doing, and like I _did_ once upon a time."

S: "I know that's not _you_ , though."

A: "Yeah, I know. But... it's _always_ disconcerting seeing someone that essentially _is_ me doing all this to you, Shinji."

E: "It'd be almost _natural_ to be concerned at such thing. I know during the read of the _previous_ doujin, you had similar concerns."

K: "Even during our read of Wolk's work, you objected to how you did certain things too Shinji."

A: "At least in _Wolk's_ work, I eventually realised what I was doing was _hurting_ Shinji."

S: "...Only _after_ I went off at you, though."

A: "...Maybe you need to do much of the same _there_ , Shinji. Just... get it into my head that what I'm doing is actually _hurting_ you."

S: "You know I don't _like_ it when I do that to you."

A: "Yeah, but... what if I _need_ it?"

R: "I am sure there will be a _straw_."

A: "...I feel all _that_ should've been the straw."

... **(196)**

A: "Oh and we're just gonna keep driving onward like nothing happened."

E: "I suppose it _is_ all just you two figuring it all out, as you go along."

S: "Kinda what _we_ had to do."

A: "...I was much less _vitriolic_ towards you, at least."

K: "It's always rather difficult, seeing yourself in situations like these. But in _every_ universe, there are always _differences_. In persons or outcomes."

R: "And _you_ would know this well."

K: "Indeed, having cycled through this however many times I have. Even _I_ end up different, through the many timelines."

A: "...Heh. I suppose I _have_ been worse."

M: "...How many times _have_ y-you gone through this again, Kaworu?"

K: "I cannot say. An indefinite number before and after, of which I remember naught but _echoes_. Some stronger than others."

R: "And every iteration of you would be a _different_ Kaworu. Not _you_."

K: "Indeed. As it is with everyone."

E: "I suppose that's _good_ , in a way. If you remembered _everything_ properly, and if you knew it was all going to happen _again_..."

K: "That would open the door to _dangerous_ lines of thinking. 'There is no permanent damage'. 'They won't remember this anyway'. While that may be the case, what does that do to _you_?"

S: "Turns you _psychopathic_ , doesn't it?"

K: "Which is why, if you find yourself looping like _I_ am, you have to keep all that in mind. They still feel the exact same feelings, no matter what time you're in. And they are still unique, in a way."

M: "...Well, it's a g-good thing you kept your head through it a-all."

K: "Only sometimes." In morbid deadpan.

~

**STOP 197**

"Least I look _good_ in that." Quietly bemoaned Asuka. "Not that i'll end up _wearing_ something like that."

"I take it you don't wish to continue reading, Asuka."

She shook her head. "Man I'm such an _arschloch_ to you, Shinji."

"It's not _you_ , is it?"

"Yeah, but it's a _version_ of me. And that's close enough in _my_ mind."

A small spot of silence.

"Sounds like we g-gotta _cheer you up_ , Asuka."

"...Heh, you guys _are_ pretty good at that, at least." With a sad chuckle. "Well, I'm _assuming_ you are good at that, Mari."

"I'd l-like to think I _was_ , when I was more myself."

"I would say you were improving _greatly_ , Mari." Noted Rei. "The company helps, does it not?"

"...Yeah." Mari as Kaworu softly smiled. "You guys are p-pretty cool."

"Quite the complement." Kaworu spoke, with a small chuckle. "How do you like possessing myself?"

Repossessing himself, Mari commented on her situation. "Kinda w-weird, honestly. I'm a _girl_ , and yet I have t-the wrong _tools_." Before she looked at her right arm. "And I'm _s-still_ getting used to having _this_ b-back."

"At least with _Eliza_ , she and I were practically _clones_."

"It's relatively _easy_ for me to slot into Rei. Practically the only thing different between her and I was she has an S2 and I had different _eyes_ to her."

"It helps we are both _girls_ , as well."

"Mainly because I was influenced by _your_ self image, when I was given the breath of life. If you were Kaworu in that situation, perhaps I would've been formed as a _male_."

"You're a c-computer, right?"

"An Evangelion core intelligence, yes. Designed to _substitute_ for a regular soul in the core of an Evangelion." She huffed. "It's a good thing I was created _before_ NERV discovered an _easier_ way to substitute a core."

"I think you _might_ get some siblings, or cousins, or whatever the nomenclature is."

"Forks."

Kaworu blinked. "As in branches?"

"Yes."

"Ah, that works as well." He chuckled. "It was my understanding that _Massachusetts_ were working on Unit-05 and Unit-06 for a few years. The disadvantage of the NACSS system is that it requires not just _two_ pilots, but two pilots that are _close_ with one another. This would narrow the pool down _significantly_ , and I wouldn't think a branch such as Massachusetts would have too many pilots that fit this criteria. So why not create a bespoke intelligence for an individual pilot?"

"Rather a _logical_ thought." She reasoned. " _I_ was paired with Rei myself, and it was important that I _bonded_ with her. Similar with _Sovereign_ , how he was paired with _me_. And you guys saw how _he_ considered me."

Nodding all around.

"There's _t-two_ alternates to cores now?!"

Chuckling all around. "You missed out on a _lot_ , Mari."

"To be fair on her, the NACSS has only been a concept since late December of last year. In fact, the progress into such thing has been _astonishing_ , so far."

"Considering it took Mama and Ma two _years_ to develop _my_ architecture."

"So... _you_ were c-created to be an Evangelion core, and yet you s-somehow ended up inside Rei."

Eliza nodded. "As I suggested, I _used_ to have a body. The incident with Unit-03 put an end to that, but as long as the _soul_ is intact, the body doesn't matter too much."

"You _formed_ a body per your self image to begin with."

"Yeah, so maybe Lilith was just correcting the fact I wasn't technically _born_." With a small huff. "...Though I do appreciate you getting the tank running again, Rei."

To which Rei gave a small smile. "If it meant you could walk in our world again, I would _gladly_ donate a shell for you. The same goes for _you_ as well, Mari."

"...Might p-put a raincheck on that."

Rei nodded. "I understand."

_'What of_ Sovereign _, Rei? You alone have the resources to support Sovereign. And...'_

_'Do not worry. I have a few plans for that.'_

_'...Okay, Rei.'_

_'How is Sovereign, by the way?'_

Eliza piped Sovereign's current output towards Rei. _'Five. Five. Five. Five. Five. Fi-'_

The pipe broke, Eliza's voice coming back. _'I'm focusing on getting him back to consciousness. As long as I can do_ that _, they should be suitable for a transfer.'_

_'I understand.'_ Responded Rei. "Hopefully our conversation has helped _distract_ you from what happened, Asuka."

"Somewhat." With a small huff. "But you know what _else_ would?"

"Wandering the city doing whatever?"

"You bet!" As she bounded up. "Maybe we can go to the zoo again!"

Eliza shuddered. "That'll be _fun_."

* * *

## 3\. Residue Processing

Misato knocked on the door of the apartment of the Klaxo-sapiens. "Oi! Where have you two been all day?"

Silence.

Rolling her eyes and using her override key, the door opened. "You two haven't been _fu..._ "

The room was mostly pitch dark, except for the glow of a... _monitor_? "Are... you two playing a _video game_?"

"Yep." Briefly replied Zero Two, busy going through Residue Processing.

"Kensuke gave us the computer and the game." Answered Hiro in her stead. "Since we were _curious_ about it all."

"...How long have you two been _playing_ that?"

"Last time I checked, it was six in the morning."

Misato took a glance at her phone. "You two have been playing this for _twelve hours_?!"

"I don't think _either_ of us expected it to be _this_ long." Hiro mused. "Considering Kensuke took _half_ that to get through _two_ games."

" _With_ all of us helping, darling." She defended themselves, as she defended herself in game. "And remember, _we_ have never even touched a _computer_ like this before, let alone a _game_ like this."

The lull in the conversation allowed for the sound of gunshots to fill the room.

"Well, at least you two weren't _fucking_ for those twelve hours." She shrugged. "I'm scheduling some tests for you lot tomorrow at 0900 hours, maybe it'll get your eyes off that damn screen."

"And Hiro out of _me_." She suggested.

To Misato's eye roll. "Maybe I'll let the tests run on, let you spend a _lot_ of time intermingling with your _darling_ over there."

The thought of this distracted Zero Two enough to fall in a pool of hazardous waste, killing the Freeman. "Ah damn it!"

Misato couldn't help but chuckle, as she made her leave. "See you guys _tomorrow_ , then!"

* * *


	3. After 03

* * *

## 1\. Cooked Breakfast

From the relative safety of a Mini Cooper, the woman in red surveilled her quarry. "Of _course_ you don't know I'm here."

Indeed, Morrison had just left a small townhouse. As far as her intelligence told her, it was the household of a prominent (and infamous, if you're Irish) politician.

Which was a _very_ juicy bit of intel. It would be a shame if the tabloids got a hold of it.

"Bah, who am I kidding." Muttering to herself, as she watched Morrison enter his Land Rover. "They'd just run the same three pieces on how Camila is a disgrace to England or _something_ stupid like that."

A sudden shockwave jolted her from her musings, the Land Rover now engulfed in flames. " _Scheiße_!" As she scrambled out of the car, wanting _plenty_ of distance from the now burning vehicle.

It was only _after_ she got this distance, and after the adrenaline faded away, that she was able to think about this.

Her first thought, understandably, was to phone home. Immediately dialling in a number on her satellite phone. _"Was, was."_

"Kleiner, wir haben ein _großes Problem_ mit dem _English Breakfast_."

("Kleiner, we have a _big problem_ with _English Breakfast_.")

A beat. _"Was ist passiert?"_

_("What happened?")_

"Autobombe."

("Car bomb.")

Another beat, before a shuddering sigh came over the line. _"Scheiße. Geh zurück und leg dich ein paar Tage hin. Ich werde versuchen, Informationen zu bekommen."_

_("Shit. Get back and lay low for a few days. I'll try finding some intel.")_

"Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Siezen."

("I thank you for your concern.") She muttered, hanging up, looking back up to the scene that had played out.

Now surrounded by various emergency services.

She gave a sigh. ("Nun... _das_ hätte besser laufen können.")

("Well... _this_ could've gone better.")

Carmen soon faded into the gathering crowd, deciding to take Kleiner's advice to heart.

~

After a long day of doing absolutely nothing, the Tumbleweed made it back to the townhouse.

Much to Eliza's relief, they decided to skip the zoo this time around. "Now, we get to traumatise ourselves with _this_ , instead."

Snickering at Asuka's remark. "It hasn't been _good_ towards you."

"I mean, at least I'm not a _mind broken psychopath_ hellbent on _ruining_ _Shinji's_ _life_ this time around. I'm just a regular run of the mill _arschloch_."

"...I _guess_ that's an improvement?"

"Heh, you're right about _that_." As they were all sitting down.

"The p-previous one was _really_ that bad, huh."

"We _did_ mention Kaworu _immolated_ a particular page, right?"

"Here's hoping I won't have to do the same for _this_ work." He mused. "But at the very least, there hasn't been _much_ questionable content involving us."

"Says the person _barely_ involved with this." Muttered Asuka. "That probably makes you the _luckiest_ person in this."

"It's more luck than _I_ had in the _previous_ doujin." Mused Kaworu.

And so they began their read.

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.18: The Meaning Behind The Words **

_April Fools_ **(Page 198)**

K: "Ah, he's starting to _catch on_ to your act."

E: "That, or she's actually genuine and she doesn't _know_ it's April 1st." A beat. "What _is_ significant of April Fools, anyway?"

M: "Don't know _how_ , b-but April 1st became the day of practical jokes and j-japes."

R: "One of those things that just _happened_ , I would think."

K: "Indeed, the history of April Fools Day is a muddy one."

A: "How do _you_ even know the history of that day?"

K "There was an apparent biblical link to such day."

A: "Oh _that's_ why." A small huff. "I _would_ say I can't believe I'm getting you to _push back_ like that, but with how _I_ treated you."

S: "As long as I'm not _directly_ insulting you. Hell, I can sorta see _us_ doing something like that; at least something related to April Fools."

R: "We know well your love is _not_ an April fool."

A: "I can see _why_ Shinji is thinking that, though."

... **(199)**

A: "Pfft, bit of a _direct_ April Fool's lie."

E: "And yet it _still_ got a reaction out of you."

A: "Yeah yeah, at least it _is_ a lie."

R: "That you deliberately goaded Shinji into."

M: "Like honey in a _b-bear trap_."

S: "Yeah maybe I could've been a bit _less_ candid."

A: "I've already said _much_ worse anyway, Shinji."

K: "And not even _to_ him." With a chuckle.

... **(200)**

E: "I still don't know if you're being _genuine_ or not, Asuka."

A: "And I _hate_ that's the case." She muttered.

R: "You probably say that so your tsun can claim _otherwise_."

K: "We know what _Shinji_ is saying is a lie, at least. His _actions_ thus far have shown this."

M: "We've _seen_ A-Asuka loves Shinji, as well."

A: "I just counteract this with enough vitriol that it _cancels out_."

S: "I don't _think_ it would cancel out for _me_ , Asuka."

A: "...I _know_ , but it just _irritates_ me seeing me like this." With a sigh.

R: "You _know_ Shinji will love you no matter what."

A: "Yeah, I know. I'm just wondering when I'll just _outright_ say that _I_ love him. With _nothing_ between him and I. Like _here_."

K: "It _will_ happen eventually. I know it."

... **(201)**

M: "Depends h-how you make him _believe_ in you."

A: "With how _metronomic_ I am, it probably changes every few minutes."

S: "It wouldn't affect much, I'd think. I know for _me_ , it wouldn't."

E: "Maybe she has to convince _us_."

R: "We know _from example_ they fit well together."

K: "Indeed. They fit well together."

A: " _I_ just need to realise that."

R: "Which you _do_. You just _hide_ a majority of it from Shinji."

A: "...Well, I suppose they had to fill the pages of this _somehow_."

**(Page 202)**

"At least you are _happy_ , Asuka."

"Got _that_ going for me, at least." With a huff. "Probably the happiest I've _been_ , actually."

"Many would find that _concerning_ , considering this is a _post-apocalyptic world_."

"Show how crummy her _p-previous_ life was. God know _I_ h-have experiences with that."

"I'm sure we _all_ have experiences in that regard." Mused Kaworu. "Especially _before_ we met one another."

"And as you guys said, maybe I'm just _defrosting_ her."

Asuka chuckled. "Slow process, eh? I guess I just gotta _accept_ I may be a bit of an ass to you as I... well, _adjust_ myself." Before she sighed. "I'm sure I'll get there, at least."

"I _know_ you will." Rei firmed. "Even if I have to _force_ you."

The candle huffed. "And you probably _could_ , Rei."

~~~

** 2.19: Remembering A Far Off Day **

_2004_ **(Page 203)**

M: "The _what_?"

E: "I wouldn't think it was anything _significant_ , at least to those four."

Shinji shook his head. "Don't remember this, though I _was_ young. Could've _easily_ forgotten it."

A: "And I'm not even _there_."

K: "Perhaps it's a mere _analogy_ for something else. Since I doubt your mother would give something _secretive_ to a young child, even if it was _you_."

S: " _Would_ she know what Angels were?"

K: "She was as informed on the existence of Adam and Lilith as anyone close in Seele were."

S: "So _yes_."

R: "This would be a _recollection_ of yours, I would think."

M: "A recollection he d-doesn't remember."

K: " _That_ version of Shinji remembers it like that. And we know how _different_ things can be."

A: "And yet we _still_ reach a similar end result."

E: "It's almost like _someone_ preplanned it."

A: "That damn penguin, I bet."

... **(204)**

A: "...Wait, is it _Christmas_? It was April Fools last chapter!"

K: "Perhaps these chapters are not _linear_. It would explain a few of the disparities I noticed."

E: "...Ah, _that_ explains a few things. I don't think that _was_ a houseboat, was it?"

M: "So they just _skipped_ that trip?"

S: "Maybe Pengel just used it as an excuse to put us in various different locations."

A: "And to drive different cars."

R: "Apparently _terrible_ cars, at that."

A: "I know, right? Get me an _Audi_ or something already!"

K: "Either way, it is either _Christmas_ or Asuka is getting into the Christmas spirit _early_."

A: "I'm wearing a damn _Santa costume_ , if it isn't the season than I don't even _know_ why I'd be wearing it."

M: "See, I would've _said_ it w-was to _appeal_ to your guy, but _that_ doesn't look like a sexy Santa at _a-all_."

R: "The fact she is even _wearing_ something underneath it. It is even more than _I_ wore one particular Christmas."

A: " _We_ wore, you mean." With a smirk.

M: "For barely k-knowing you guys, I know a _lot_ more than I should about your _private l-lives_."

S: "They're rather _candid_ with that sort of stuff, if you hadn't noticed."

A flat look from Mari!Kaworu.

S: "Right, you _would've_ noticed."

... **(205)**

K: "Ah, so it _is_ just you getting into the spirit early."

A: "It's a good excuse to have me in a _Santa suit_ , at least." She huffed.

E: "Could those _baubles_ be the _Angel's Gift_?"

M: "It'd even fit a _b-biblical_ narrative, I'd think."

R: "Of course, I would have thought _you_ helped set up the tree as well, Asuka."

S: "I don't think _I_ particularly mind, anyway." With a melancholic smile. "Christmas was always a good time with my family, anyway. Even _if_ I only remember one of them."

K: "Ah, but one good memory is all it takes. And I know for a fact we've had a few rather _decent_ Christmas' since then."

E: "Especially for _you two_ , it sounds like." Flat.

... **(206)**

R: "Not _just_ baubles."

M: "Maybe he associated t-those baubles with your _hair_ , Asuka."

A: "While that's a sweet explanation, I didn't even _meet_ Shinji until I came to Japan."

E: "Though it _does_ make sense he associate a _colour_ of you to such thing. Your hair _is_ rather prominent, after all."

Asuka flicked said hair. "Kissed by fire, as my Oma said. Maybe Shinji _does_ have that kinda connection."

S: "I _do_ like the colour orange, after all."

A: "Heh, of _course_ you do."

K: "I would _expect_ the next section would be a discussion on _why_ you consider red baubles as treasure."

E: "As the chapter title suggested."

_German Branch_ **(Page 207)**

K: "Heh, fancy seeing _your mother_ here as well, Asuka."

Asuka couldn't help but give a small smile, despite her looking somewhat _different_. "I suppose in _that_ world, I get my fire from my _father_."

M: "Would they have m-met like that, in our world?"

S: "If they _did_ , it was pretty much just for business. Cause this was _before_ she fell into Evangelion."

E: "Based on the fact she's walking around, I'm sure."

R: "Though it _does_ make some sense they _would_ meet. They were _both_ rather significant players in Project E, after all."

A: "She had _longer_ hair, as well."

S: "Maybe in _that_ world, she did what you did in _Wolk's_ work."

Asuka chuckled. "Cut it short so I couldn't _pull_ on it? Makes sense I got it from _somewhere_."

M: "Yui still l-looks the same." A small beat. "D-does she?" She quickly tacked on.

S: "Yeah; maybe somewhat _lighter_ hair but that could just be the manga."

A: "Actually, now you mention it, she looks like she has a lot more _Japanese_ in her, as well."

K: "Your mother was _both_ German and Japanese, right?"

A: "Half and half, dad was _full_ German."

R: "One of the many differences, I would think."

E: "Especially since there was no _significant_ depiction of her. That would leave quite a bit up to the interpretation of the universe."

A: "So just because she wasn't shown significantly in the Laserdiscs, she could look just like _anyone_?"

K: "Assuming the Laserdiscs are where all of this _came from_. Which it _does_ start from where they left off, more or less."

S: "The only one I remember that _didn't_ was _Bond's_ work and the _Theatrical_."

R: "And both of those works were also somewhat _different_ from our own universe, in more fundamental ways."

M: "So there's just _infinite_ v-versions of you."

A: "All of them suffering, yes. And _you're_ not immune to that as well, y'know."

M: "From what it sounds like a-at least."

E: "I suppose that means _I'm_ lucky. I haven't noticed myself in _any_ of these works so far."

A: "I know _I'd_ certainly call that lucky."

... **(208)**

R: "Would you look at that." With a small smile. "Red baubles."

S: "That didn't happen _here_ , did it?"

Asuka shook her head. "Never even _seen_ her until we watched the Laserdiscs."

K: "Which means you wouldn't have met until our _reunion_ in Rogue-00."

M: "So _that_ w-was why you found those things significant. Maybe they were a _gift_ from your mother."

E: "Or they reminded you of _Asuka_."

A: "So... we _still_ didn't meet, but I met your mother."

S: "Ain't _that_ some connection." He noted.

... **(209)**

Asuka nervously chuckled. "Seems I was _always_ a bit like that."

M: "Your _Japanese_ wouldn't help, o-of course."

R: "She _was_ four, and a native German. Which _would_ take priority for learning."

S: "...I wonder if _that's_ where the angel analogy came from."

A: "Heh. You _already_ considered me your little angel, eh?"

E: "He certainly thinks that _now_ , I'm sure."

A: "I'd rather be a little _demon_ , myself." A sly chuckle.

K: "It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if you had _clothing_ like that."

A: "Pfft, I _wish_. You know how we had to get that _Christmas_ stuff, right?"

R: "A ten thousand Yen note in the pocket of Kodama Horaki." She recalled. " _Each_."

A: "Yeah, and _that_ was for the special occasion of getting you _both_ riled up for the first Christmas since we _kicked Seele's ass_. I'm not gonna go through Kodama every time I wanna spice something up in the bedroom; Hikari gave us so much heat for _months_ afterwards!"

R: "Even though _she_ would have done the same, I am sure."

M: "The woes of being y-young." She muttered. "I never even _thought_ of d-doing something like that. Then again, not that I even _h-had_ anyone."

R: "A good thing you _have_ someone."

A small blush from Mari. "...I... not if-"

R: "I am the one _implying_ such thing, no?"

The blush continued.

... **(210)**

A: "And to think I _forgot_ about that."

K: "It explains _why_ Shinji thinks they're significant, at least. You considered it as such, and his mother would've _relayed_ it as such."

S: "Were our folks trying to _ship_ us?"

Snickering around the table. "I wouldn't think _actively_. Maybe _after_ we got to know one another, Shin-chan."

R: "With how you said they were _like_ , in the Evangelion."

S: "At least we can say this was right about _some_ things."

The candle blushed, getting the complement.

E: "So those baubles are _different_ to what's in your hair?"

A: "I don't think I even _wore_ that in my hair since all that shit happened."

M: "I'd think _m-most_ kids would like shiny balls like t-that."

A: "Did _you_ , Mari?"

M: "No."

Asuka huffed. "Thing is, I wasn't ever _that_ materialistic when I was younger. Hell, I'm _still_ not, at least not _too_ much."

R: "I was going to say, with how much you tend to _buy_ when we go shopping."

A: "You see how much _Hikari_ buys, right?"

... **(211)**

M: "Heh, _already_ interested in h-him, Asuka?"

A: "A boy similar to my age that my mama _might_ know? Of _course_ I'd be interested in him!"

S: "Maybe if things ended up differently, we would've met anyway."

A: "Heh, I certainly wouldn't have minded _that_ , Shinji."

R: "Get you two started _early_ , from what it sounds?"

K: "Much like that _other_ alternate reality, at the end of the Laserdiscs."

A: "The _high school universe_? Though I didn't see _my_ mama in that, so God knows what went on with _that_."

E: "Certainly would've been a _calmer_ universe, at the very least."

S: "Still somewhat _damaging_ towards me."

A: "Maybe your body should've _known_ not to have dreams like that in my presence."

R: "I find it interesting your mother did not appear to have the _best_ opinion of Gendo Ikari."

S: "I mean, _I_ certainly didn't see what my mum saw in him."

M: "Your dad is Commander Ikari, r-right? Even the guys at _Nevada_ thought him c-cold."

A: "He would've been like a _bogeyman_ to you, I'd think."

M: "More like God in His _O-Old Testament_ days. Y'know, the one t-that can turn you into dust if you even _s-slightly_ slighted Him."

S: "Yeah, he was like that."

_Promised_ **(Page 212)**

A: "Oh my God she really _was_ shipping us that early!"

S: "It's good to hear _you're_ excited for such thing, Asuka."

A: "A good thing _you're_ not boring, eh?"

M: "Normally it'd be a bit _s-strange_ to have you two paired off so young."

K: "At least from a modern, western standpoint. Arranged marriages were common in history; even nowadays they are still prevalent in much of the world."

E: "Specifically _in history_."

A: "As long as they didn't _force_ us, I probably wouldn't have minded having Shinji _betrothed_ to me."

R: "It would have allowed you to _skip_ a few more steps, at the very least."

A: "And we _already_ bounded up the staircase when it comes to that, eh?"

S: "Does it count if the _universe_ apparently does it, instead of our mothers?"

Asuka chuckled. "Certainly _seems_ like that, eh?"

K: "Not that _either_ of you should complain."

A: "Oh yeah, I'm _certainly_ not complaining about that!"

... **(213)**

A: "Well I broke _that_ promise to her."

K: "You _did_ agree to such thing, at the very least."

R: "When she was _four_."

M: "Yeah, I'm not surprise y-you _don't_ remember this."

A: "I mean, I _should_." She thought. "Promising to _marry_ a boy like that."

E: "Maybe with everything that happened, it fell by the wayside."

S: "...I mean, it _could've_ happened. Not like we _remember_ that, do we?"

A: "And I _would've_ remembered something like that, given _I_ was involved. But oh well." She shrugged. "We _still_ got together and got betrothed and all that, so it's all good."

M: "You _are_?"

R: "We are _all_ technically engaged with one another. We have just not _arranged_ anything else."

A: "Mainly because of the whole _Evangelion pilot_ thing. Plus, we are not yet _old_ enough to get married."

R: "Of course, circumstances are now _somewhat_ different." With a chuckle.

E: "I could debate you and Kaworu were _already_ like that. What, with being _soulbound_."

M: "...I wouldn't want to _intrude_ on that."

R: "I _have_ expressed my willingness to share, have I not? As long as you do not mind _me_."

M: "...I certainly do _not_ m-mind having _you_ around, either. _Any_ of you, r-really."

K: "Seems we should be fine, then." With a small smile.

... **(214)**

S: "Sounds like _I_ broke _that_ promise, as well."

K: "If _neither_ of you know you made that promise, does it really matter?"

A: "I'd _still_ say yes."

R: "Good thing you had a good _reference_ , Shinji."

E: "Then again, we know you didn't _need_ a reference. Also, is it just me, or does your mother look a lot like _my_ Ma."

A: "Like _Maya_?" Before she took a closer look. "Huh. Yeah _I_ can see that as well."

K: "Almost _remarkably_ similar."

M: "Bordering on _s-suspiciously_ similar? Not like _I_ would know."

R: "Perhaps Pengel, lacking a reference for Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, elected to base her off _Maya_."

Asuka gave a small snicker. "Even though we don't look alike."

K: "Genetics are a strange thing, after all."

R: "You have that _glint_ in your eyes that she has, at the very least."

S: "And I'm sure _other_ traits wouldn't show up well in a manga format."

... **(215)**

A: "I certainly did _that_ , at least."

K: "Even _without_ knowing."

M: "Unless you count this _K-Kaji_."

A: "Which _I_ don't; God knows what _she_ thinks."

E: "I thought you _would_ have realised that. Even in the _Laserdiscs_ , you seemed to realised he had those feelings for _Misato_."

A: "Realised that _here_ as well. Though in _my_ case, that was _after_ Shinji and I had that big damn kiss of ours, and _that_ definitely helped me get through that realisation."

R: "A safety net you _lacked_ in the Laserdiscs."

S: "And look how we _all_ ended up."

K: "At least there are _plenty_ of works that seek to _undo_ this fate Anno had for you."

A: "Almost like some people actually _care_ for our wellbeing. At least _some_ puppetmasters are benevolent. Mostly."

S: "Even the most _friendly_ ones have made us _work_ for our happiness."

M: "I mean, that _w-would_ be rather boring, I imagine."

Small huffs. "Fair point, Mari."

_Angel_ **(Page 216)**

A: "...Ah, _that's_ why you knew it as an Angel's gift." She couldn't help but blush.

S: "Well, you certainly _are_ an Angel."

A: "At least in the _metaphorical_ sense." The candle chuckled. "I can call _you_ an Angel in both senses, Rei."

Now it was _her_ blushing. "And I could do the same for _Kaworu._ "

He simply smiled at the complement.

E: "It's a shame _neither_ of you seem to remember the significance of this bauble."

M: " _Maybe_ they m-might. You never know."

A: "I'm sure _something_ might happen to dredge that memory up." A huff. "I kinda _envy_ you, Eliza. You probably have some picture perfect memory or something."

E: "More or less, but as a computer, I am _always_ limited in terms of data storage."

S: "What _is_ the maximum amount of data a brain can hold?"

E: "That's what I'm _still_ trying to figure out. Neurones aren't like bits; they can be in _many_ more states than on or off. Of course, brains are _more_ than hard drives."

A: "Not exactly any _great_ comparisons, eh?"

E: "Not really. Quantum computers might be close; I'll need to research those more though. In short, _I don't know_ how much I can hold, but while I'm within Rei I'm not so _inclined_ to explore."

M: "Just in case you a-accidentally _stray_ into her mind?"

E: "More or less." With a somewhat amused chuckle. "Gods know _what_ I'd find in there."

R: "Many things amusing and concerning, I am sure."

... **(217)**

K: "That explains why _you_ don't have such memento."

E: "Not that _she_ is likely to have it, as well."

R: "It is all dependent on whether this _happened_ in our world."

A: "Which it honestly probably _didn't_. We _both_ don't remember this, and I probably _wouldn't_ suppress a memory like this."

S: "Though it could've always _slipped_ our minds. Unlikely it is."

R: "And odds are, there would not be any _evidence_ of this memento in our world. What Yui left in this world, Gendo subsequently _destroyed_. Such thing would be included, unless there was somewhere unknown to him it was stored in."

A: "And unless said memento is her damn _Corolla_."

M: "I could think of _w-worse_ cars to leave behind." She shrugged.

... **(218)**

R: "And that is the key _question_ for you two."

K: "It's a shame they don't have a version of this doujin to read through."

A: "At least _inside_ the apparent canon."

M: "So... what _w-was_ the past few pages then?"

S: "For _our_ benefit, perhaps."

A huff from the candle. "Can't have them find out _easily_ , can we?"

E: "Because that would _immediately_ thrust you two together. We _still_ have several hundred pages of this to go through, from my count."

A: "Can't just get together like we did _here_ , eh. We told you how _we_ _collided_ , right Mari?"

M: "I got the g-gist of it." With a slight smirk. "Sounds straight out of a _Disney f-film_."

To the redhead's bark. "Disney would _balk_ at what we did _after_ that kiss."

**(Page 219)**

"And here we get an insight into Pengel's mind."

"See, _that_ girl looks closer to my Mama _here_." Pointing to the figure in the lower righthand corner. "What, did he think her too _obviously_ my mother or something?"

"Maybe drawing _short_ hair is easier." Shinji thought.

"They d-didn't have a problem with it _before_."

"Either way, it's an _interesting_ insight into their ideas regardless."

"And your younger self _does_ look adorable." Rei spoke.

"Heh, yeah." As Asuka scratched the back of her head. "So _we_ know this memory, but _they_ don't."

"Wouldn't be the _first_ time we were more clued in on their _actual_ connection."

~~~

** 2.20: Christmas, Xmas **

_Deck the Halls_ **(Page 220)**

M: "Speaking of _C-Christmas,_ though."

A: "Damn, I don't look half bad in that."

K: "It's certainly more _tasteful_ than I expected."

R: "Quite a bit more _leg_ than you usually have, in this work."

A: "It's not the 19th century, Rei. Leg's all good."

E: "Just what the hell are those _gifts_ meant to be?"

S: "Judging by the haircuts, they're _Rei and Kaworu_."

R: "Well, I have an idea for the coming Christmas, at least."

A: "What, put us in that lewd Christmas wear we have, put us in a _box_ , then _gift us_?"

K: "Bit of a _lazy_ gift." With a slight chuckle.

E: "And you guys _already_ spoilt it."

To Asuka's shrug. "Maybe those two forget about it by Christmas."

S: "We can certainly _try_."

... **(221)**

R: "Talk about _charmless_ , Asuka."

A: "Yeah yeah, I need to watch my fucking language, don't I?"

E: "Needless to say, this isn't _canon_."

K: "The fact _we_ are still alive is proof of that."

M: "Either w-way, he _still_ chooses Asuka."

S: "I'm sure that would've happened _regardless_ of who I picked."

R: "Perhaps with more _force_." With a huff. "We can tell by the _language_ used she does not have very high opinions of us. At least in _this_ omake."

K: "Though I suppose her appraisal of me is _accurate_ , at least from a Laserdisc perspective. Not that I even had a _concept_ of conceit and homosexuality."

A: "Even for _me_ , that's a rather _crass_ way of putting it."

K: "Perhaps just _another_ indication of your extreme tsun."

Asuka snorted. "Just add it to the counter Eliza's running."

... **(222)**

R: "It appears _I_ am Santa, now."

A: "With a _lot_ more leg than I was showing."

R: "Glad you noticed." With a small smirk.

M: "And l-lucky you, you get _two_ Asuka's to choose f-from."

E: "It _is_ two Asuka's right?"

M: "God forbid it was _m-me_ , but it would be _d-darker_ hair. At least my _regular_ s-self."

K: "Could've also been _Hikari_ , in that sense. It depends what Pengel would know about us."

S: "Regardless, I'm sure _both_ Asuka's are great options."

A: "Also, you look _cute_ in that, Rei."

Now she had a small blush. "Glad you noticed."

... **(223)**

E: "I see you _appreciate_ Shinji for choosing right."

A: "I probably would've picked the _other_ Asuka, myself."

S: "Rei obviously expected me to pick the other Asuka, as well."

R: "Considering I had to presumedly _gag_ her to prevent her from throwing slurs."

M: "Shinji didn't e-even _say_ half of that."

K: "I doubt it'd really _matter_ to the tsun Asuka."

A: "Hang on, are you wearing a damn _keyhole_ dress, Rei?"

Rei seemingly just noticed this herself.

And _smirked._ "Indeed. Not bad at all."

Much to Asuka's giggling. "Combined with that short skirt, that's even more lewd than _I_ have been!"

R: "I look rather _good_ in that, if I say so myself."

... **(224)**

A: "Ah I suppose I'll give Pengel a pass _this time_. It's _Christmas_ , after all!"

S: "Not to mention you look rather _stunning_ like that."

E: "Hopefully they don't make this a _habit_."

R: "I suspect Asuka did not expect you to ask for _that_."

M: "Yeah, it was probably s-something _fanservicey_. Since _that's_ what this whole s-showing skin business is called, apparently."

A: "I don't even know _how_ to knit something like that. Or even someone who _could_."

K: "Perhaps one of us could _learn_."

R: "That is strangely _innocent_ of you as well, Shinji. She quite obviously meant to give you her _body_."

S: "Maybe _I'm_ the socially... _challenged_ one." He mused.

A: "You could probably describe _me_ like that, as well." With a huff. "I _really_ need to get more obvious with you."

M: "Sounds like that's w-what happened _here_."

A: "Even in that _other_ doujin we referred to, I was _incredibly_ obvious with Shinji."

M: "Do I _want_ to k-know what you did?"

A: "Practically _tackled_ him, _butt fucking naked_ , before forcing Shinji to stay with me on threat of death. And yeah, we fucked afterwards."

M: "...I mean, it got the _m-message_ across."

R: "Made you look like a _yandere_ instead of a tsundere, but it did indeed _work_."

A: "As I said, _I'm_ pretty damn socially _challenged_ as well. And that's just _me_ , my _Laserdisc_ self is even _worse_ in that regard." Before she shrugged. "It'd certainly _explain_ a few things."

~~~

** 2.21: Their Contributions For Their Age **

_Champagne_ **(Page 225)**

A: "I'd say why not! It's the end of the world, after all!"

S: "And you drink _anyway_ , don't you."

R: "So do _you_ , on occasion."

M: "Even t-though y'all are _young_."

E: "I'm guessing your parents never let you drink."

M: "Oh _God_ no."

K: "I was never one for alcohol myself. In fact, it doesn't do _anything_ for me."

A: "Your S2 probably flushes it out _immediately_ or something."

K: "More or less. Similar to _any_ intoxicant, really."

S: "I know _some_ people would consider that torture."

R: "A good thing we _both_ do not have an affinity for alcohol."

M: "It _is_ Christmas, I s-suppose. That'd probably be the one time m-most parents would allow their children to d-drink anyway."

K: "Or any other significant holiday, I'm sure."

A: "Also, isn't _eggnog_ the drink of choice for Christmas anyway? At least in the States; wasn't exactly the drink of choice in _Germany_."

S: "I don't think I've ever even _seen_ eggnog."

M: "My d-dad used to make some _apparently_ killer e-eggnog for my mom. Never had it myself."

A: "Well maybe _this_ Christmas, Shinji can whip some up for you." A small smirk. "Get you all liqueured up like most of us!"

M: "...I wouldn't mind that."

... **(226)**

K: "Do you even _like_ champagne, Asuka?"

Asuka shrugged. "Eh. Not my favourite. Then again, wine and champagne isn't _exactly_ my drink of choice."

R: "I am sure champagne and wine has an _advantage_ over most other drinks. It _keeps_. At least longer than _beer_ would."

M: "God knows _eggnog_ w-wouldn't keep in an apocalypse."

E: "I'm thus assuming _that_ will be out of the question for the _gift exchange_."

A: "Maybe Shinji can gift me a _fridge_ to keep it in."

S: "And presumedly the _generator_ to run it, as well."

R: "Though I _am_ curious as to _what_ gifts you will offer one another."

K: "Considering we have established _yourselves_ are an uninspired gift."

A: "Maybe if we didn't _do it_ so often, it'd be considered a gift."

_Presents_ **(Page 227)**

M: "You really _are_ m-making the most of it, ain't ya."

A: "We gotta celebrate it for _everyone else_ , don't we?"

R: "Certainly more _conservative_ Christmas wear than the _previous_ chapter."

E: "Can't give Shinji _too_ much of a show, now."

Much to Asuka's amusement. "And you do kinda look _cute_ with those antlers, Shinji."

S: "Gives you an idea, eh."

A: "Ah I was gonna do it _anyway_ , remember?"

S: "Right, yeah."

K: "You sound _very_ enthusiastic, Shinji."

M: "Maybe _Rei_ w-would have a similar idea for you, Kaworu."

K: "I've already conceded that fact." With a slight huff. "As long as it looks good on me."

R: "Depends what will amuse me more, Fish."

... **(228)**

A: "Probably shouldn't expect _too_ much, eh?"

M: "Doubt there's _too_ m-much you could find, in a _post-apocalypse_."

S: "Clothing's always a good option."

E: "I'm assuming _that_ is what you are gifting her."

R: "Clothing is alright, Eliza. It is a way to _express_ oneself, after all."

K: "Just look at _Asuka_ , for example."

A: "Especially since I apparently _made_ that."

R: "Or at least spent the time _looking_ for such clothing."

M: "Well, if that apocalypse h-happened sometime around _Christmas_ , it w-wouldn't be _too bad_."

A: "At least the one _good_ thing about having a Christmas in the apocalypse. You don't get any of that _God awful Christmas music._ "

M: "...God damn it Asuka y-you _had_ to remind me, didn't ya."

A: " _I don't want a lot for Christmas~_ "

K: "I'm trying to _keep_ Mari in this world, Asuka." He flatly chided.

... **(229)**

S: "...Well, the _thought_ was there."

A: "Ah I'm sure I'd _appreciate_ it, Shinji. _Especially_ when it gets warmer."

R: "I know in _Japan_ , you could wear that year round."

M: "You could certainly get away with that in p-places like _California_."

E: "A shame they will be going nowhere _near_ California."

K: "Do we even know _where_ they are?"

A: "Not Germany, but not _Japan_ either."

E: "I don't even know how long they've _spent_ with this."

K: "I believe we established Instrumentality occurred early 2016, at least in the Laserdiscs."

S: "In _our_ world, we made it to _mid_ 2016 before Seele tried that."

R: "I believe _Bond's world_ made it that far, as well."

A: "Well, at least _they_ don't have to worry about that anymore." A grim remark. "Now for _your present_ , Shinji!"

... **(230)**

A: "Pfft, Shinji!"

M: "He's wising up, a-at least. He didn't say it _out loud_."

S: "And you know I _would_ treasure something like that."

E: "I'm more surprised you were able to get a picture _developed_ in such an environment, Asuka."

K: "Maybe she found a Polaroid camera."

R: "Ironically enough, such thing would have taken _more_ effort in such an environment."

S: "At least you can use it in _winter_ , as well."

A: "Plus, _I_ already have a pendant, Shinji. Might as well give _you_ one as well, eh?"

K: "He certainly _appreciates_ such thing, at the very least."

M: "I'm sure if he _didn't_ , s-she'd _make_ him appreciate it."

A: " _I'm_ sure of it, as well."

... **(231)**

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Damn it, me."

E: "Okay, getting a picture of _you_ is somewhat realistic."

R: "Perhaps she already _had_ an image of him."

M: "That, or she's _l-lying_ about having his image."

K: "And that is to mask the fact she has _your_ image."

S: "Is there even any _point_ of talking about it outside the kitchen?"

A: "Who _else_ could you spill that to, Shinji?"

R: "And what of _Misato's_ necklace?"

A: "I probably _still_ have it somewhere, Rei. I'm not just gonna throw something _that_ significant away, am I?"

R: "I would certainly _hope_ you kept it."

M: "Maybe whatever Shinji _cooked_ f-for you would help change your mind."

A: "I know _here_ , that was certainly a factor. It's pretty sweet having a man that _cooks_ for you." With a chuckle. "Even in an _apocalypse_ , I'm sure he can make some great stuff."

S: "Keeps the morale up, at least."

_Toast_ **(Page 232)**

A: "Well, _they're_ about to be disappointed, I'm sure."

R: "Considering it sounds like the _first_ alcohol you two had drunk."

M: "Not the best o-one to start off with?"

A: "The first alcohol I _tasted_ was beer."

S: "Misato?"

A: "Yep."

E: "Perhaps _that_ coloured your perceptions of alcohol."

A: "I'm _German_ , that alone makes me more biased towards _beer_."

M: "What you'd expect s-someone like _me_ to be biased towards, then?"

A: "Probably _bourbon_ , since you're American."

A small huff. "My dad was always one for a good b-bourbon, so maybe. I imagine that _Irish blood_ my mom gave me would help matters a-as well."

A: "Oh yeah, you could probably drink _Misato_ under the table!"

... **(233)**

S: "Did we just get drunk off _one drink_?"

M: "Are you s-sure you didn't accidentally drink _moonshine_?"

A: "If it _was_ moonshine, we'd be _blind_."

E: "At the very least, you didn't find the _taste_ too bad."

K: "I doubt the taste matters much if you are _inebriated_."

A: "I'd still want my booze to taste at least _tolerable_. Maybe if I was one to just get _drunk_ , but alcohol's much _more_ than dulling the senses."

R: "I am sure _your mothers_ know this, Eliza."

E: "It's certainly what they _told_ me, when they offered me a drink."

A: "And after we tried getting you to drink _beer_ as well."

M: "You _already_ h-had a drink, Eliza?"

E: "Indeed, a glass with my mothers. It was rather nice, actually. And yes, they _did_ tell me it was more a _social_ drink."

A: "No point getting drunk _alone_ , I'd think. That's just kinda sad, at that point."

... **(234)**

A: "Oh why can _you_ hold your drink in that universe?"

S: "Gods know, cause I know _here_ I get tipsy after a few cans of _Misato's_ stuff."

K: "And that's practically _water_ , according to Asuka."

R: "Perhaps _neither_ of you were avid drinkers. Even _here_ , the first time you were allowed to drink was on your _15th birthday_."

A: "At least a _proper_ drink, I've had sips here and there."

M: "I wasn't e-even given a _sip_."

E: "A good thing we sound a lot more _liberal_. Of course, I doubt it'd do much in _Kaworu's body_."

A: "But as I said, at least I'm not drunk _alone_."

K: "You're quite lucky to have someone to _support_ you in your stupor, Asuka."

A: "He does that _normally_ , as well." She slightly chuckled. "At least the _mood_ is alright."

... **(235)**

R: "What strange roleplay."

But a snicker from Asuka, "I _am_ drunk, Rei. I'm probably not thinking about the _implications_ of Santa kissing one of his _reindeer_. But either way, at least we're getting _somewhere_."

S: "Even _if_ it required you getting drunk."

A: "Hey, if _you_ keep it a secret from my sober self."

K: "I wouldn't call that the _best_ attitude. Plus, I'm sure Shinji has a _different_ attitude to when you're drunk."

S: "I'm not taking _advantage_ of her being drunk. Not unless _I'm_ as drunk as she is."

E: "That way, there's no _advantage_ towards someone?"

A: "More or less, though I'm more of _Rei's_ opinion when it comes to that stuff. I wanna _remember_ the time I spend with Shinji, and that includes _intimate_ times as well. Can't remember if I'm drunk outta my mind, eh?"

M: "Good to hear _sex_ t-trumps getting _trashed_."

A: "Oh it really _does_ , Mari." She smirked.

... **(236)**

A: "Oh I guess it doesn't even fucking _matter_!"

Everyone else chuckled. "You _really_ couldn't handle it."

A: "And it was just _one drink_ , as well. What the hell did we drink, _methylated spirits_?"

M: "You'd _really_ go blind if you drank _t-that_."

E: "Instrumentality wouldn't have changed the composition of it much, right?"

R: "Or perhaps they were just unlucky enough to find a _high alcohol_ champaign."

K: "That or your tolerances are rather _low_."

A: "Well, at least this gives Shinji a chance to perv at that _locket_ of mine."

M: "As I said, I _d-doubt_ you have an image of him. As Shinji s-suspects."

A: "Not that I'd admit that to _Shinji_ , of course."

... **(237)**

K: "And not that he cares to find out, as well."

A: "Why not? _I'd_ probably look at it."

R: "It shows he respects your privacy. And I am sure he _knows_ you show love in not so obvious ways."

E: "That would be just one of them."

S: "If _that_ single glass of champaign got you drunk, Asuka."

A: "Yeah that sake is gonna _fuck me up_ , eh?"

M: "If y-you're not in _Japan_ , how did you e-even _find_ it?"

K: "Perhaps it was an _import_."

A: "Yeah, even _after_ Second Impact, people would _still_ pay a lotta money for exotic alcohol, eh?"

R: "It _would_ be something of a curiosity to some. How an exotic drink is like."

A: "...Though I _do_ appreciate all that, Shinji." A small smile from the candle. "She doesn't deserve you."

_Christmas Omake_ **(Page 238)**

Giggling. "Well, at least you _tried_ to push us together, Rei."

R: "Indeed." With a smirk. "I look rather nice in that, if I say so myself."

M: "I'm sure _K-Kaworu_ thinks the same thing."

K: "Naturally."

E: "I'm sure you guys would put a _raincheck_ on that gift."

A: "I was her, I would've accepted it _immediately_."

S: "And you know _I_ would've as well."

R: "You two have not gotten rings yet. So maybe I will _have_ to gift you two some." The smirk remained.

A: "Heh, you bet _we_ wouldn't mind Rei."

**(Page 239)**

" _That's_ a nice image of me, at least."

"A nice _complement_ as well, I am sure."

"Not everyday someone c-calls you a _priestess_." Thought Mari. "Let alone someone f-from another universe."

"At least Pengel is treating me _right_. At least better than _others_ did."

"And so far, it's keeping up as well." Noted Kaworu.

"Which _I'm_ certainly not complaining about. I don't think we've had _any_ work that treated us with as much kindness as _this_ does."

"Even the relatively _lighter_ work of Bond's didn't treat you two as kindly."

"Bond put _everyone_ through hell and back, Eliza. I wouldn't _call_ them treating us kindly."

"Let's hope this keep up for the next... several hundred pages."

~~~

** 2.22: Only You **

_Sleep Off_ **(Page 240)**

A: "Well, at least I was able to sleep that _one glass_ off."

E: "I don't think this happens _immediately_ afterwards."

M: "Unless Shinji c-carried you to bed, like a gentleman."

A: "I mean, he _is_ a gentleman." With a smirk. "But I'm also in different clothing altogether. And I doubt he'd go _that_ far, at least while I'm _sleeping_."

R: "Lest you wake up, and send his head flying through a window."

A: "I'm not _Lucy_ , am I?"

S: "Hopefully getting woken up won't cause that to happen either." In deadpan.

A: "Ah I'm sure it won't. Maybe you're just making _tea_ or something."

... **(241)**

R: "Perhaps _Shinji_ is the one unable to sleep alcohol off."

E: "As I said."

A: "Though it's obvious _something's_ up with him. You wouldn't just leave a kettle on the stove like that, eh?"

S: "I'm amazed we even have the resources to _use_ the kettle."

M: "As long as you have s-some _heat_ , you can use a kettle _anywhere_. Not like t-they run on _electricity_ or anything."

K: "You _can_ get electric kettles, but I'm sure there's a _lack_ of electricity in an apocalyptic scenario."

M: "...You can get _electric_ k-kettles?"

Asuka looked perplexed. "Do they not _have_ them in America?"

M: "Never seen o-one in my life."

A: "...Huh. _That's_ kinda strange."

M: "If you thing _that's_ the s-strangest part about America."

... **(242)**

S: "Well, at least it's not a _hangover_."

A: "Ain't _that_ looking on the bright side."

M: "Now it's _your_ turn t-to take care of him."

E: "Maybe this is the universe's way of getting back at you, Asuka."

R: "To Shinji's detriment."

S: "Most things in this universe usually are."

A: " _Hopefully_ it'll teach me to _not_ take advantage of you anymore, Shinji."

K: "You don't exactly sound hopeful with that, Asuka."

A: "You've seen me, right?"

_Nurse_ **(Page 243)**

R: "Sometimes, a sickness just _happens_. You never know _what_ can sneak through the immune system."

E: "Do you think the _alcohol_ didn't help matters?"

A: "It was _one drink_!"

M: "I would think a p-pilot's lifestyle would _stop_ sicknesses like that."

K: "They are not _pilots_ anymore. They would lack many of the medicine and treatments _we_ have."

S: "Not to mention the lack of a consistent _diet_."

R: "And the moving from place to place. Your body adapts to the surroundings. Somewhere new, your body would not be _as_ adapted."

A: "Which in _Shinji's_ case, would've been enough to get him _sick_."

S: "A shame idiots _aren't_ immune to disease." In deadpan. "Oh yeah, the _environment_ wouldn't help as well."

M: "And it _was_ s-snowing earlier. So it _would_ be p-pretty cold. Though... if _e-everything_ died, wouldn't that include _b-bacteria_?"

R: "Perhaps. But let me give you a _loophole_ to this thought. A _virus_ is not exactly a _living_ entity, is it not? They are not _autonomous_ , after all. Even the basest of bacterium can be described as such."

K: "And the common cold is caused by _rhinoviruses_. Even _if_ all life was taken, it is not unrealistic _viruses_ would continue to exist."

A: "That's _if_ all life was taken, after all. Cause I know in _some_ realities it was just _humans_."

E: "I mean, I haven't seen an _animal_ in this work yet."

... **(244)**

M: "I wonder just _how_ you'll w-wake him up."

S: "She _already_ yelled at me, so can't do _that_ again."

A: "I've _already_ decided to deliver it by force."

E: "How, might I ask?"

A: "Fuck if _I_ know." Shrugging. "Maybe I just pour it down his mouth."

R: "And _drown_ him."

A: "I never said I was a _doctor_."

K: "I may not be a doctor, but I probably would not force liquids into a sleeping person's mouth."

S: "You could just tip me out of bed to wake me up."

A: "I would've _expected_ that of _that_ Asuka."

... **(245)**

K: "... _Or_ you could do what mother birds do, that works as well."

M: "And that was the _first_ t-thing you thought of."

A: "In my defence, it wasn't the _first_ idea I had. It was the _second_."

E: "Is there an _opposite_ to fanservice? Because whatever... _this_ is, I'd call it that."

R: "I would say you were lucky Shinji did not _wake up_ at this exact moment."

S: "You didn't just jinx it for the _next_ page, right?"

E: "Either way, let's look."

K: "Rather _understandable_ you wish to move on from this." With a small huff.

... **(246)**

M: "Then again, I'm n-not too sure if _that_ was the intended delivery method."

R: "As Wolk's work proved, medication can _also_ expire."

A: "At least in _that_ work, it only resulted in me getting pregnant."

S: "Is that _really_ preferable to a _fever_?"

A: "Oh _God_ no, but at least you get _something_ at the end of it."

E: "At least this shows your _dedication_ towards Shinji. Spending as long trying to get him _better_."

A: "It's what I'd do _here_ , y'know."

K: "Indeed. And despite your posturing, it's _exactly_ what you are doing _there_ , as well."

R: "...I am sure that fear of _losing_ him would also be there."

A: "...God knows I wouldn't want _that_."

_Introspection_ **(Page 247)**

K: "Such feelings are rather _understandable_."

M: "Since we established y-you aren't exactly the most... _medically g-gifted_."

A: "Trying to medicate Shinji like I was a _bird_ didn't show that already?"

E: "It _would_ be a rather lonely life."

S: "Gods know _I_ wouldn't want to spend my life like that."

R: "...And especially with the lack of _anything_ in the way of hospitals or medical professionals, the fear of that would _always_ be there."

K: "It's even _more_ important for the both of you to survive. Being the _only_ people left."

M: "I'm sure _anyone_ in h-her situation would feel the same."

S: " _I_ even felt the same in Wolk's work, didn't I?"

A: "And I very well _could've_ died during childbirth, eh? Even _in_ a hospital; just look at what happened to most woman hundreds of years ago!"

... **(248)**

S: "That's certainly all the incentive I need to get better."

R: "It is also helping get through however many walls _Asuka_ has."

A: "As if I need _more_ things to get through those walls. If she was _me_ , I would've fallen _completely_ head over heels _ages_ ago."

E: "And I'm sure this doujin would've fallen into _debauchery_." Flat.

A: "Oh we aren't _that_ bad."

K: "Didn't you spend a _month straight_ doing it in the _other_ doujin we read?"

A: "Yeah, and I quote unquote _died_ soon afterwards, so maybe we were just making up for my future demise."

M: "That's d-dead with an _asterisk_ , from w-what it sounds."

A: "My unborn child saved me in exchange for wiping my mind clean, which I'm _still_ not sure is a great trade deal but I _guess_ I ended up alive, so _fine_."

Mari as Kaworu blinked. " _What_."

... **(249)**

S: "Heh, did you spend all night looking after me, Asuka?"

A: "You'd do the same for _me_ , Shin-chan. And don't try to _deny_ it." With a small smirk.

K: "Ah, but it sounds like you might do a Sleeping Beauty."

M: "I thought t-that was _Snow White_."

K: "It happens in Sleeping Beauty as well."

M: "...Huh. Disney w-was a _lot_ less inspired than I thought."

A: "They weren't even _Disney_ to begin with. Snow White is a _German_ fairy tale, after all."

K: "The Brothers Grimm, in fact. Though then again, _Sleeping Beauty_ was said to have come _before_ Snow White, and both involve similar plots. Evil queen gets slighted in some matter, takes it out on a young princess who ends up asleep, evil queen gets dealt with, prince claims princess like she were a _prize._ " The last bit came out as a mutter.

E: "So Snow White was essentially Germany's version of it?"

A: "You could probably say that." She shrugged. "Then again, can't exactly call _me_ an expert on that sorta shit."

R: "You know enough to do something like _this_ with Shinji." She smirked.

... **(250)**

R: "Well, you _were_."

A: "I can't stop _now_ , can I? I'm _way_ too deep into that."

M: "And to think, if _S-Shinji_ tried to do that. Like the fairy t-tales."

S: "Then Asuka would've thrown me through a window."

E: "I recall hearing about those kinds of _double standards_."

A: "That sorta double standard exists because we, being _women_ , have historically been kinda _shat on_ by men. _You two_ are fine, don't worry."

K: "Thanks for the exception."

A: "So yeah, people find it _amusing_ when you swap the roles around, the oppressed becoming the oppressors or some shit. I don't understand it myself; doesn't give _us_ a free pass to do it just because _men_ did it in the past."

R: "Goes to show there is a lot of _nuance_ to media like this."

E: "So, _will_ you kiss him?"

A: "Well, he's _awake_ now, so it's not like I'm kissing him in his _sleep_ or anything like I'm some pervert prince or anything."

... **(251)**

A: "...Or I could do _that_." She groaned. "Fuck's sake when can I just up and _kiss_ you already?"

R: "Because you do not want to _admit_ it to Shinji."

A: "Why not, though?" Another groan.

M: "It _does_ seem r-rather frustrating. Will she or _w-won't_ she?"

E: "So far it's been 250 pages of _won't she_."

K: "Much to Asuka's chagrin." Wry. "Shinji's taking it well, at least."

Shinji shrugged. "I'm taking it in my stride, mostly. I'm _sure_ we'll eventually collide."

A: "You certainly have more _patience_ than I do, Shin-chan."

**(Page 252, 253)**

"Well _that_ was a bit more of a _depressing_ chapter." Mused Asuka.

"Even the _stinger_ has a sense of melancholy to it."

"That's essentially _all_ our relationships." Thought Shinji.

"The closest relationships are those where you can share _everything_ with someone." Philosophised Kaworu. "Something _you_ still need to learn, Asuka. But you _are_ getting there."

"An event like _this_ would help push things along."

"But I just need to break _through_ all those damn masks I have." Rueing herself. "I _could've_ done it right there, but I _chickened out_ once more."

"Not e-everyone goes at the same pace, I would think. Even _if_ t-they're similar to you."

"There is just the small issue in that this failure to communicate is what ultimately lead to _Instrumentality_ in four out of five scenarios, ours included."

Eliza counted in her head. "Missing a couple?"

"Bond's work and the Theatrical have fundamental differences that separate it from the Laserdiscs and the other three works aforementioned. You could say all of those works were a _continuation_ of the Laserdiscs, one way or another. You cannot say that of the Theatrical or of Bond's work."

"I think I prefer the _clean slate_ works, myself." Asuka spoke. "At least _then_ , there's always the _smallest_ of chances things might work out for the better."

Silence.

"Oh who am I kidding, we're _all_ fucked either way."

~~~

** 2.23: A Believable Lie **

_Argument_ **(Page 254)**

Asuka cringed. "Okay, not the _best_ of starts."

K: "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you two get _physical_ in a fight."

A: "We don't _need_ to get physical. We reason with each other like mature individuals, and I'm not even being _sarcastic_."

R: "Though I suppose it makes sense there is _some_ tension."

E: "It'd be _inevitable_ , I'd think."

S: "I know we _still_ sometimes clash, but as Asuka said, we can handle it."

A: "Helps _neither_ of us want to _hurt_ each other."

M: "I'm sure there's _some_ t-times where you _have_ to h-hurt them, though."

A: "Yeah, but you need to have a gentle but firm touch to that. If I have an issue with someone like Shinji, I tell him. I don't _intentionally_ hide it or anything; that just makes it _worse_."

K: "It appears you two _still_ need to learn this."

A: "More like you _me_." Flat.

... **(255)**

A: "So what, I'm just _sunbathing_ after slapping Shinji?"

E: "Wouldn't it still be _winter_?"

M: "I thought w-we established time wasn't exactly _l-linear_ in this work."

R: "From your expression, you _are_ thinking about what happened."

K: "Indeed. I myself wouldn't recommend alienating the _only_ person left in the world."

Asuka sighed. "Wouldn't be the _first_ time her attitude screwed things over."

S: "...Well, we _did_ say this'll be slow work, eh?"

A: "Still doesn't give me the right to _abuse_ you, Shinji. Hopefully _she's_ realising that."

... **(256)**

A: "And of _course_ I blame _you_ for it, Shinji."

S: "Well... we don't know what _I_ said."

K: "And arguments can spiral out of control, as we may know."

E: "Are you trying to _control_ him, perhaps? Your language certainly implied such thing."

A: " _I'm_ the one that needs a handle." She muttered. "It sounds like _that's_ where I'm going wrong, at least."

R: "That sort of control does not exist _here_. The both of you _do_ influence one another, but not to _that_ extent."

A: "I mean, we _are_ cripplingly codependent on one another, aren't we?"

M: "I would _think_ t-they were as well. Being the _only_ p-people on Earth."

R: "But as we discussed. Arguments are a natural part of _any_ relationship. Child fights with parent, friend fights with friend."

K: "Toji describes your fights as _lover's spats_." With a small smirk. "It's _expected_ of a couple."

Asuka couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Maybe we should _fight_ more, Shin-chan."

A flat look.

A: "Pfft, yeah doesn't sound great, eh?"

... **(257)**

R: "Your closest friend?"

K: "Your lover?"

E: "Your companion?"

M: "Someone to b-bang?"

A: "Is _that_ the issue, then? I literally can't understand _why_ someone like him would be so _caring_ towards me?"

S: "Gods know _I_ certainly used to think that."

A: "But you were able to get that into my thick skull _easily_ , here."

K: "We established it was going to be _much_ slower in this work."

A: "Yeah, I know. I don't _like_ it."

R: "Perhaps you should write a _complaint_ to Pengel."

A: "And get that penguin God to wire it to them, sure."

M: "I _still_ d-don't understand how you guys even _t-think_ that."

E: "We _would_ show you, but the work disappeared."

M: "And that just r-raises _more_ questions."

S: "It _does_ help prove our case, at the very least."

_Blue Moon_ **(Page 258)**

R: "I do not remember Instrumentality occurring on the moon."

M: "You t-think it looks like _Rei_?"

E: "Put a blue wig on it, it _could_ look like her or I."

K: "We aren't _that_ pale."

A: "Though I suppose that's just what happens when you get to _thinking_ , eh?"

S: "I'm sure _we_ all know how our minds can just _wander_."

R: "Especially when one is _alone_. _My_ own mind tends to wander like that."

A: "And it seems I learnt _that_ from you." She huffed. "Though I'm right about _that_ , you _would_ have been able to see just _what_ I'm going through."

R: "Indeed. But that would have been _easy_."

A: "And Pengel is making us go the _scenic route_ for our pairing." Muttering.

... **(259)**

E: "At least _Shinji_ can help snap you out of those thoughts."

A: "And into a lot _more_ thoughts, I'm sure."

R: "Rather _amazing_ what isolation can do to someone."

S: "Why do you think _we_ don't like being alone?"

M: "Just l-look at what happened with _m-me_."

K: "A good thing you're no longer _alone_ , then."

A: "And it's a good thing for _me_ that Shinji found me before I started _howling_ at the moon or something stupid."

S: "I imagine that would've been _cathartic,_ at the very least."

A: "Heh, maybe if I was a _wolf_."

... **(260)**

K: "It's obviously you feel bad about _whatever_ you argued about."

S: "As I _would_. If it caused _that_ reaction."

A: "Even if it was an _overreaction_."

E: "You are working to get through this, though. That's more than I can say of your _Laserdisc_ selves."

R: "The end of the world would rightfully cause someone to think twice about their attitude and choices."

A: "Tell that to _me_."

M: "I'm sure he d-did."

K: "I'm sure we'll find out the _topic_ of this argument soon enough."

E: "The topic is less important than the end result, I'd think. They argued, about something only Pen-Pen knows, and now they have to _patch up_."

... **(261)**

A: "The topic was probably just me being me again." A small grumble. "A _turbo_ tsun."

R: "That is certainly a way of putting it."

M: "A good thing S-Shinji is _persistent_."

E: "So now you _know_ he loves you, no matter _what_."

K: "But as Asuka herself established, it's almost like she doesn't understand _why_ Shinji likes her. She needs an _explanation_."

S: "Even though you don't _need_ an explanation. I just love you, is all."

A: "Heh, you certainly convinced _me_ , Shin-chan. Though now you have to convince _her_."

R: "A _difficult_ task, but not an _impossible_ one."

A: "Mainly cause _Pengel_ makes it difficult."

_Lie_ **(Page 262)**

A: "...That's certainly _promising_ , at least." A small smile at the imagery. "Isn't that what we established _earlier_? That I'm just _lying_ about hating him?"

M: "Because that's a-apparently the way a tsun _expresses_ l-love and that. Once a-again, I'm reminded of the _Simpsons_ , in a w-way. 'Always do the o-opposite of what Bart says'."

Kaworu couldn't help but chuckle. "Only in _this_ case, it's always _understand_ the opposite of what _Asuka_ says."

A: "The fact you _need_ to do those sort of mental gymnastics with me."

M: "Heh, I gotta _remember_ t-that term."

R: "I believe _everyone_ knows you love Shinji, and Shinji loves you. The only person you have left to convince is _yourself_."

A: "And God knows how I'm gonna do _that_. She were _me_ , I would've been convinced like _seven times over_."

E: "How did you describe her, a _turbo tsun_?"

A: "At the very least, maybe Shinji can put this experience on his CV and apply for a _demolition company_. If he has to smash through _that_ many walls, he might as well _use_ that experience."

S: "If other people _existed_ , of course."

A: "Maybe the world of Instrumentality needs some houses demolished." She shrugged.

... **(263)**

R: "Such thing got you perked up, at least."

A: "It _is_ a somewhat decent apology, at least."

M: "I'm sure _carrying you_ like y-you were a _bride_ would help, as well."

E: "Or trigger your chronic tsun even more." In deadpan.

S: "If I can even _lift_ her." With a huff.

A: "Oh you're not _that_ weak, Shin-chan." With a smirk. "And you better not say that to _her_ , else she might think you called her _fat_."

K: "I'm sure Shinji has learned by now to hold his tongue."

M: "So he'll continue loving you, y-you continue stringing him along until you decide w-whether or not you _do_ love him, and w-we just get back to status quo?"

R: "We cannot deny Pengel's _dedication_ to the status quo."

A: "But I don't _like_ this status quo!"

K: "I'm sure it _will_ adjust, in your favour. Perhaps in several hundred pages time."

S: "So basically when it's _over_."

K: "Yes."

... **(264)**

M: "How _else_ w-was he gonna carry you?"

R: "Perhaps she expected a _piggy back_."

A: "It could be _worse_. He could be grabbing my _butt_."

S: "I'm sure if I _was_ , you would've shoved my head up _my own_ butt."

E: " _Is_ this teasing working?"

K: "According to _her_ , it is."

A: "At least you haven't lost your _dry_ _wit_ , Shinji."

S: "It's about all I _know_ I have, at that point."

... **(265)**

A: "What the hell, _you've_ indicated to me you love me for the past _two hundred pages_. Why am I just getting that _now_?"

R: "Pengel."

S: "Helps I was a bit more _blunt_."

M: "Maybe _that's_ what y-you need to break down those walls of y-yours."

K: "It's rather what happened _here_. Not through _words_ but through _actions_."

A: "A kiss so good, we damn well _toppled over furniture._ " With a small chuckle, as she reminisced. "And did a _lot_ more than that almost immediately afterwards, eh Shin-chan?" As she poked his side.

Much to his blush.

E: "With such a spectacular get-together, perhaps that set too _high_ a standard."

A: "I think the _universe_ has been trying to convince us of that for _months_ now."

... **(266)**

They couldn't help but laugh. "Well, at least you t-two can still have _fun_ with o-one another."

A: "Got _that_ going for us, at least." Huffing. "I pretty much bought that on myself, eh."

E: "A taste of your own medicine, so to speak."

K: "And thing is, you can't exactly _hit_ Shinji in your position. Otherwise you'll be in for a _rough landing_."

S: "...Can't deny it's a _better_ position than where we _were_."

A: "There's _still_ quite a bit to do for us, but... yeah. It's a start."

R: "I remember similar words being said before."

A: "Yeah, well I expected us to be a bit _closer_ together after over two hundred pages. Not _just_ realising Shinji does in fact love me."

K: "Slow burn, Asuka."

A: "Yeah, I know."

**(Page 267)**

"So what _are_ these w-walls of text, anyway?" Mari thought aloud. "I know _some_ J-Japanese but not _that_ much."

"You seem to be _speaking_ it alright."

Mari as Kaworu shrugged. "Speaking it is d-different from _reading_ it. Plus, it's one of the languages I _had_ to know, being under NERV's employ."

"It's the _Kanji_ , isn't it?" Asuka remarked with a small huff. "That was one of the issues _I_ had with moving to Japan. Hell, I _still_ have to call upon Shinji sometimes when I see a character I don't understand."

"You _had_ to learn Japanese and German, Mari?"

"You guys d-didn't?"

Shinji shook his head. "I only know German because of _Asuka_. English I know a few words like _hello_ and _yankee_ but I can't hold a conversation in it."

"Maybe I should start teaching you _English_ , Shin-chan." Chuckled Asuka, briefly switching to said language. "My English is not _perfect_ exactly, but I can converse in it."

The candle cleared her throat. "And the _Fish_ over there knows just about _every_ language under the sun!"

"I make for a good translator, at the very least." With a small smirk.

"Yeah, if we ever needed something translated from _Latin_ to _Arabic_ , maybe."

"You never know, Asuka." A chuckle. "Though there _are_ some languages outside my knowledge. In example, _Spanish_."

"Tenía q-que saber eso también." Muttered Mari. "At least l-living where _I_ was living."

"I don't think I've _ever_ seen anyone speaking _Spanish_." Asuka remarked. "Which is kinda strange, cause Spain's only a few countries removed from _Germany_."

"I didn't even know what it _was_." Shinji shrugged. "You don't really _see_ a lot of foreign languages in Japan, unless it's _English_."

"You guys literally _take_ English words and just use them verbatim."

" _Gairaigo_." Clarified Rei. "They _are_ rather convenient; why make a new word when you can just _borrow_ a word with the same meaning?"

"And not _just_ English." Kaworu noted. "Russian, French, even _German_."

"The only takeaway I'm getting from this is Shinji wasn't taught _any other language_. Even though he was _meant_ to?"

"Wouldn't be the _first_ time NERV rushed me through with no training whatsoever."

~~~

** 2.24: As It Is, You're Fine **

_Sneak_ **(Page 268)**

E: "You're certainly wearing less _clothing_ to bed, at the very least."

A: "Considering I didn't _eviscerate_ him for _not_ wearing a shirt. Maybe we _are_ making progress!"

M: "Though n-now it's the question of _where_ you went off to, in the m-middle of the night."

K: "Nothing like a _midnight stroll_."

R: "Or perhaps a midnight _song_."

A: "I don't have _that_ great a singing voice, so maybe _that's_ why I left."

S: "Better than _mine_ , at least."

A: "And _that_ why we play instruments, Shin-chan!"

M: "You guys p-play?"

Asuka nodded. " _All_ of us do, we're a little _strings section_." With a small smile. "You ever played an instrument, Mari?"

She thought back. "Gee... I m-might've."

K: "Foggy, Mari?"

M: "...Kinda."

K: "That's alright." A soft remark. "You'll remember in time."

... **(269)**

M: "I didn't know you liked _Frank Sinatra_ , A-Asuka."

A barked laugh. "Ah, you don't know the _other_ significance of that song, eh?"

Mari blinked.

R: "Fly me to the moon was the song used in the ending credits of _our show_."

M: "...Huh. How does _t-that_ work?"

K: "Perhaps Anno appreciated the classics."

S: "Or they couldn't afford to make another song."

E: "At least Gainax were able to improve their financial state for _Gurren Lagaan_."

A: "It'd be nice if I could appreciate _Shinji_ as much as I appreciate an old classic like _that_."

R: "Perhaps that _is_ your way of appreciating him. The lyrics say as much, at the very least."

A: "And we _all_ know as a _tsundere_ , I can't just _say_ I love him, no no no, that'd be _too_ _easy_!"

... **(270)**

A: "Ah Christ."

E: "I'm sure _my_ mothers would have a lot to say about that."

M: "So instead of t-taking a midnight stroll, you're _drinking_."

A: "I've never been one to make good decisions, Mari."

R: "Like drinking _Yebisu_ , with how much you deride it."

K: "A part of me wonders _how_ you got Yebisu in the first place, if you are no longer in _Japan_."

Asuka shrugged. "Maybe I found an export version?"

S: "I'm sure _Misato_ would be able to clarify."

A: "If she wasn't _wringing me out_ for drinking alone like that." Flat. "What the hell gave me the idea to _drink_ like that?"

R: "Especially with how you cannot hold your drink, in this work."

M: "Three cans, y-you're probably _trashed_ already."

A: "It sure _looks_ like it. And now _Shinji_ gets to deal with my drunk-ass self."

... **(271)**

A: "But I don't _want_ you to be like Kaji."

R: "And I think _she_ might know this, as well."

E: "Of course, tsun."

A: "It all comes down to _that_ , doesn't it." She grumbled. "At least with me being _inebriated_ , something _might_ get through those _trillions_ of walls I have."

S: "Not that I _would_ take advantage of that. Not while you're _drunk_ , Asuka."

K: "What you _should_ do is get her home. Or at least where you're staying."

M: "I know _I_ w-wouldn't want to be alone like that, in that state."

A: "I doubt _she_ does as well, not that _Shinji_ would know with all the completely _wrong_ signals she's sending him."

E: "Which naturally leads into Shinji's _proposition_. Since you seem to adore Kaji so much."

A: "I _like_ Kaji and I certainly appreciate him being more of a father than my own damn _father_ was, but it was completely _stupid_ for me to want to get _intimate_ with him." She cringed at the thought. "...And I'm glad he was strong enough to _not_ do that with me."

R: "You _are_ still young in this, you realise. Immaturity combined with _everything_ that happened with you."

Another sigh. "I _really_ need to be expecting that sorta thing from her, at this point."

_Pointless_ **(Page 272)**

K: "You had a _moral_ in that, at least."

R: "Indeed, it is true. You cannot be anyone but yourself. You should not have to change yourself for someone else."

A: "...And as I said, I don't _want_ Shinji to change."

E: "It was _him_ you fell for, after all."

S: "Maybe I _do_ need those words, then."

M: "Can't d-do much about the _growing up_ , though."

S: "At least _physically_."

A: "I just need to learn a bit of patience, eh? Cause _you've_ certainly grown up a bit since we met." She suggested.

S: "Could say the same for _you_." He fired back.

A small _bounce_. "You're Goddamn right about _that_ , Shinji." With a sly smirk.

... **(273)**

M: "You _did_ a-ask for him to be him, Asuka."

A: "Yeah, well I'm a damn _metronome_."

E: "We know _here_ you take complements well. Hell, Shinji just complemented your _bust_."

S: "They _are_ pretty nice."

A: "Men think _any_ part of a woman is nice, Eliza. Breasts, butt, _thighs_."

K: "Personality."

R: "Of course, Shinji _here_ can complement your _personality_ all you want. If the Shinji _there_ tried that-"

A: "I'd punt him into the sun, yeah I know."

S: "Good thing I've gone for a _finer_ touch, then. Calling you cute is just as true _and_ it's less of a safety hazard."

A: "By _one percent_ , I'm sure."

E: "Still a statistical _decrease_."

... **(274)**

K: "Ah, with _your own_ mouth?"

A: "Always think the opposite of what Asuka says." She muttered. "But hey, we're getting _somewhere._ Can't wait to take twelve steps back when the _next_ chapter rolls around."

E: "You have low hopes."

M: "Can't help b-but feel the _same_."

R: "Almost like that is the _theme_ Pengel has decided on."

A: "Much to _my_ chagrin."

S: "Can't deny they're _cute_ , at least."

A: "Yeah, it has _that_ going for it, at least." She softly smiled. "Let's see how _this_ kiss goes, then."

... **(275)**

Rei smiled. "I think that went well."

M: "Discounting the _d-drinking sickness_."

A: "At least it wasn't the _kiss_ that made me sick."

E: "I'd call _that_ progress."

S: "Depending what _I_ thought of that. _Hopefully_ I didn't take it the wrong way."

K: "Perhaps Asuka would be _careful_ in drinking from here on out."

A: "Yebisu makes me do that _normally_ , so I just gotta avoid _that_ and I'll be fine. Which you'd _think_ would've been easy enough after leaving Japan but it seems whoever makes Yebisu was _exporting_ it to every backwater the world has to offer."

S: "Sapporo Breweries make Yebisu, if I remember correctly."

A: "I'm guessing _Misato_ taught you that."

S: "Yep."

**(Page 276)**

"...I _still_ d-don't know what these walls of texts a-are for."

"The _previous_ text seemed to almost be _lyrics_ to a musical piece I have no knowledge on." Rei noted. "In fact, I would call _these_ the same as well, just on a cursory glance."

"Well ain't _that_ useful, getting lyrics to a song that doesn't exist."

"And you can _still_ tell it's a love song." Kaworu chuckled.

"Almost like that's the theme with this work."

"Maybe _playing_ one of those songs will help me get to your heart, Asuka."

A small chuckle. "Good luck with _that_ , Shin-chan. Nothing much _else_ has worked thus far, at least as well as it did in _our_ world. Though then again, as we said, maybe that's just my own high expectations."

"It _was_ an extraordinary display, that you two performed."

"Heh, like you saw it." She huffed. "Who am I kidding you probably _did_ see it, somehow."

"More or less." Noted Kaworu.

~~~

** 2.25: Shinji In Wonderland **

_Very Important Date_ **(Page 277)**

K: "Ah, _another_ dream."

R: "I am sure _you_ would not mind dreaming of me in rabbit girl getup."

A: "We know _Shinji_ doesn't." She smirked. "Wonder where _I_ come into this dream. It's based off Alice in Wonderland, so maybe I'm the _Queen of Hearts_." Muttering.

M: "I wouldn't t-think he has _that_ low an opinion of you."

K: "The subconscious is a strange thing. And yes, I wouldn't mind _dreaming_ of that, though I'm sure the _actual_ thing is always better."

Rei smiled. "Perv."

E: "Not while _we're_ here, please."

R: "Maybe _you_ should get involved in such thing, Eliza."

E: "You know how animals _terrify_ me, right?"

... **(278)**

A: "I'm sure _that_ would've been a nice dream, as well."

K: "A shame it seems even in a _dream_ , I cannot be left alive."

M: "Maybe the dream saw y-you in that _egg_ form, and decided t-then and there."

K: "It wouldn't even surprise me. Though that _is_ a rather... _strange_ form for me."

E: "Good thing you had the mind to find a form _all_ of us are more comfortable with."

R: "A form most likely more _squishy_ for the Lance, as well."

K: "Yes, perhaps I should have transformed into something a bit _sturdier_."

S: "A skyscraper, perhaps."

K: "Oh well. Maybe since this is a _dream_ , such death won't actually _kill_ me."

... **(279)**

E: "You don't look too happy with that, Kaworu."

K: "Being beheaded is generally an _unpleasant experience_ , yes."

R: "Especially when doing so stops you from getting it on with Shinji, I am sure."

A: "I fucking _knew it_!"

M: "Is _anyone_ t-there enthusiastic about what's h-happening? Even the _staff_ y-you have seems bored."

A: "That's _Pen-Pen_ realising this dream is completely _stupid_."

S: "Can it be called a _nightmare_ now?"

A: "Your friend got his head cut off, I'd probably _call_ that a nightmare."

K: "Even though such thing is obviously for _dark comedy_. But it appears I _am_ still alive. My _head_ is, at least. Perhaps Shinji can carry me as he runs away from the Queen of Hearts."

A: "As long as I don't do anything _stupid_ with it. Like _football_."

K: "Would've been an _interesting_ perspective, being the _ball_."

... **(280)**

A: "Oh and it seems _everyone's_ coming out of the woodwork to scare you shitless, Shinji."

S: "I wouldn't put _Maya_ in the same leagues as Fuyutsuki, my father, and _Kihl_."

E: "Judging by her look, _she_ doesn't want to be in the same leagues as well."

M: "I'm assuming you _r-really_ don't want to know what he's d-dreaming about, Asuka."

A: "If she knew it was _that_ extreme, I'm sure she'd go _completely_ off at him."

R: "Even though the person cannot dictate _what_ they dream about."

K: "I'm sure his murmurings give her enough of an idea to _act_."

... **(281)**

R: "And of course, _that_ would not help his dream."

A: "Maybe _that's_ why he ended up dreaming of me. I started _bugging_ him."

M: "I'm sure S-Shinji would've been satisfied e-enough with an _erotic dream_ with K-Kaworu."

K: "I'm sure we _all_ would've been. But we _know_ of Pengel's general aversion to fanservice, at least outside of special occasions such as _Christmas_."

S: "And yet he wasn't averse to _beheading you,_ Kaworu."

E: "Perhaps as a way to _stop_ the fanservice from happening."

K: "Bit of an _extreme_ method to keep me from getting it on. Throwing me against a tree works just as well."

R: "That is the method _I_ used, after all. We cannot deny the _efficacy_."

... **(282)**

K: "Ah yes, my head will sprout _legs_ and come to help." Flat.

R: "You have an _AT-Field_. You can _float_."

S: "A part of me thinks a _floating head_ of my friend would just terrify me _more_. Plus, it _is_ a dream."

A: "I suppose that's _one_ way of stopping the nightmare, at least."

M: "Probably wouldn't _r-recommend it_ , myself."

E: "I'm rather surprised you guys didn't take Kaworu's situation more..."

A: "Shockingly? We already _established_ it was a dream, after all."

S: "An _absurd_ one, at that."

R: "And he _was_ still alive, after all. Inconvenienced, certainly."

K: "It's rather preferable having a body." He huffed. "I suppose that's your _pet name_ for me now, Asuka."

A: " _Fish_ is much better, I'd think."

M: "Doesn't have a-any _slur_ connotations, at l-least. I think." Mari blinked. "Where _does_ c-calling you _Fish_ comes form a-anyway, Kaworu?"

R: "To me, Kaworu appeared like a _rainbow_. From there I called him a _Rainbow Trout_ , from there came _Trout_ , and from Trout came _Fish_."

K: "They're _all_ rather nice pet names, I think. Even if they once came from a place of _malice_."

R: "That is the same with Asuka's own pet name for _me_."

A: " _Either_ of those are _much_ better than what I call you _there_ , Kaworu."

**(Page 283, 284)**

"These omake and dream sequences are just excuses to have the _other_ people involved, are they?"

"Can't just be _both_ of us, Eliza." Chuckled the candle. "Even _Wolk_ spun this up with the way they set out their chapters."

"Good to see I'm _still_ being puppeted." Thought Shinji.

"And I am _still_ an egg."

"The _other_ page is accurate, at least. You must _find_ your happiness; there is no set path."

"So why n-not just _wander_ , eh?"

"Indeed. Either you find it early or you find it later, but you will _find_ it. You just have to keep _searching_."

"I certainly found happiness in _Shinji_ rather quickly. Evidently, I didn't know I skipped the _scenic route_ in doing so."

"The scenic route involves going through _the end of the world_."

"You can't deny it _would_ be scenic."

"...I mean, I _guess_."

~~~

** 2.26: Oneshots 2 **

_At Least, Be Human 2_ **(Page 285)**

A: " _That's_ a cute puppy, at least."

R: "So there _is_ other life."

S: "And I'm sure Pengel is glossing over the potential _predators_ that could come for us."

E: "Wouldn't fit the theme."

M: "Should I s-say it?"

A: "Fine."

M: "It's m-mighty _convenient_ you asked for fresh meat a-and an _animal_ comes a-along. Even _if_ it's a dog."

K: "In such an environment, any sustenance should be considered."

A: "I mean, I'd _hope_ we weren't desperate enough to resort to killing _dogs_ for food. Especially those as adorable as _them_."

M: "I know _I'd_ r-rather eat canned food than eat a d-dog. Hell, I'd rather eat _dog food_ t-than a dog itself. That _is_ a dog, r-right? Not a weird l-looking _cat_ or anything?"

R: "Not that it would make it _better_."

... **(286)**

A: "I guess I _am_ that desperate." Muttering.

M: "Okay, it _is_ a d-dog."

R: "Now that you mention it, they _do_ look rather similar to a cat."

A: "That doesn't make it better!"

K: "I take it you don't know how to _hunt_."

R: "Humanity have been _persistence_ hunters, either way. For animals, our stamina is impressive. We could run an animal to exhaustion if we had to, but humanity also developed _tools_ to aide in this endeavour."

E: "And I know _you_ wouldn't even eat meat full stop."

R: "If there was nothing else, I could tolerate it."

S: "I'd say meat would be even _more_ rare in an apocalypse situation, though."

R: "So as long as we can operate a _farm_ of some sort, we will be fine."

_St. Valentine's Day Tragedy_ **(Page 287)**

S: "Thanks for the tip." He wryly remarked.

A: "Always do the opposite of what Asuka says."

E: "At least she said she was _joking_."

M: "I'm sure by _that_ p-point, it'd be _far_ t-too late anyway."

A: "It probably hurts _me_ more than it hurts _Shinji_ when I say that."

R: "You are just denying your own feelings at that point."

K: "Indeed. And we know where hiding and denying feelings gets you."

A: "The end of the world, yeah I know. But hey, I don't think the world can end a _second_ time."

E: "I wouldn't want to _tempt_ that, myself."

... **(288)**

A: "Jeez _I'm_ a cow."

R: "She is mean because she _loves_ you. As befits a tsundere."

M: " _Any_ b-boy would take all that the completely _wrong_ w-way."

E: "And look at what happened in the Laserdiscs."

M: "I haven't _seen_ the L-Laserdiscs, Eliza."

A: "I think _I_ need to see the Laserdiscs."

S: "Even though that is _exactly_ what happened to us anyway."

K: "Wouldn't convince her, then."

M: "That c-chocolate wouldn't even be _fresh_ , w-would it."

A: "Nothing like _expired sympathy chocolate_ to express your feelings for someone." Muttering.

_The False Girl_ **(Page 289)**

R: "Perhaps you have decided to spend the day as a _housewife_ , Asuka."

A: "In a house like _that_ , I would've broken my damn _back_ doing it."

M: "Judging by t-the _title_ , I'm guessing Shinji c-can't _believe_ it."

A: "He _does_ do a lot of the housework, admittedly."

S: "You pull your own weight, Asuka. You do more than _Misato_ does, at least."

A: "I actually _like_ living outside a garbage dump, Shin-chan."

K: "It's a rather _elaborate_ prank, if it _is_ a prank."

E: "And not a genuine turn of heart."

A: "If I didn't become that _before_ , I'm not gonna suddenly turn _now_."

... **(290)**

A: "Man even good _food_? I _must_ be putting effort into this prank!"

S: "As Kaworu said, it's pretty _elaborate_."

M: "I wonder how you _g-got_ that food."

A: "Either it's canned, or I caught that dog, and I would _hope to God_ it was the canned stuff."

R: "If that even _is_ meat. I cannot discern anything on that table that reminds me of meat."

E: "It's a bit of a scant drawing anyway. Indiscernible blobs of black and white."

K: "I'm sure if there was _colour_ , it would look more _delicious_."

S: "Good thing _I_ said as much then."

... **(291)**

Asuka _giggled_ at who she became. "Look at how much of a _good girl_ I am, Shin-chan!"

E: "That'd terrify Shinji _here_ , I'm sure."

S: "It probably _would_. Though... you _do_ look kinda cute in that dress."

A: "Heh, bit of a _traditional_ affair, ain't it?"

R: "Sounds like Shinji would not _mind_ such thing."

K: "Clothing can do _wonders_ to the appearances."

M: "We know what _y-you two_ prefer, in terms of c-clothing."

R: "We have been good in the past few days, have we not?"

... **(292)**

S: "Yeah I guess that was to be expected of me."

K: "And all that effort to bug him."

R: "In the end, you most likely _helped_ him. Doing all of his chores."

M: "It all d-depends what _she_ thinks about this."

A: "Yeah, as long as _to me_ , it seems like I successfully bugged Shinji, then I won."

E: "Bit of a loaded victory."

S: "Especially since if I just took this in my stride, you would've dropped the act almost _immediately_."

A: "And _still_ consider it a victory, cause that would've _tricked_ you."

K: "Or, you could've _abused_ Shinji for preferring a more _traditional_ girl."

A: "Or that. Either way, I win."

E: "As I said, loaded."

~~~

**STOP 293, 294**

"At least with Pengel _not_ focusing on fanservice, I can get in various decent _dresses_ , eh?"

"Would it be _wise_ to trust you with a syringe, Asuka?"

"Probably not, if I'm honest." She shrugged. "And _God knows_ where that syringe has been. Not like they're exactly getting _sanitised_ in a post-apocalyptic environment, are they?"

Their musings were interrupted by a knock on the door. "I'll get it." Said Shinji, getting up.

He was rather _surprised_ to see the person at the door. "Carmen? You look pretty..."

"Ragged?" A wry smile, slightly panting. "It's... been a long day. Would've called ahead but I threw my phone in the Thames."

Shinji blinked. "There's a story to this, isn't there."

A nod. "Though I _really_ need a shower first, is anyone using it?"

"...No?"

"Thanks kid." As she barged in and upstairs. "I won't be too long, alright?"

Shinji didn't do much but look on in bewilderment.

"I'm a-assuming that's enough of the doujin for today?"

"Yeah. I'd think so, Mari." As Shinji walked back to the kitchen, filing through the cabinets and getting out an electric kettle. "I think some _tea_ might be in order for her, at least."

"...Is _that_ an e-electric kettle?"

Shinji nodded, washing out and filling the pot before turning it on. "Do they really _not_ have them in America?"

"As I said, never s-seen one. It'd be _really_ c-convenient, though."

* * *

## 3\. Troubles

Carmen sipped on her tea, taking in the somewhat bewildered looks of the room. "So yeah. That was _my_ day."

Silence filled the room.

"Yeah, jokes on me for getting involved in _those_ affairs." She sighed. "Suppose I should've _expected_ some funny business going on with that particular guy."

"What the fuck is going _on_ in England?" Asuka exclaimed.

Another sigh. "I suppose you guys aren't _young_ kids or anything. Basically, that particular politician my quarry was meeting today _may or may not_ have been involved extensively in _Irish affairs_." Dancing around the issue. "Which may have made him a few _enemies_."

"One of which attempted to take matters into their own hands." Thought Rei. "But they got the wrong car?"

"I _think_ so, God knows _why_ they'd target who _I_ was targeting unless _they_ knew as well. Either way, my quarry's either _dead_ , or he _wishes_ he was dead. I'm still tryin'ta get some info on that."

"And I suppose _staying_ there was out of the question."

"I'm sure your guardian _Kaji_ would know, Asuka. If _anything_ goes pear-shaped on assignment, you _get out_. Preferably in an _inconspicuous_ manner, but the quicker you get back to your friends the _better_."

"Otherwise it could be _you_ next."

Carmen acknowledged this. "You never know. Especially in the moment. Either way, it inconveniences _me_ a lot." A grumble. "You guys know about the _phone_ , but there's also transportation and dress and bribing someone in Scotland Yard to _sanitise_ the car I borrowed."

"Lotta shit, ain't it."

"Got it in one, Asuka." As she took another sip. "You've been a bit quiet, Kaworu."

"...Just thinking. Don't mind me."

_'I take it Mari does not like the topic matter.'_

_'No, not so much.'_

_'...Rather understandable, I feel.'_

A honk outside the townhouse perked Carmen up. "And there's my ride." As she got up, carrying the teacup and saucer with her. "Sorry if I bought down whatever mood you guys were in, but... I appreciate being able to dump this on you."

"Nice having someone to do that with, eh?" Asuka chuckled briefly. "And I'm sure you'll tell your _fine wine_ even more."

Rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you're right. I'm probably gonna stick around for the time being, so I'll see if we can get another _football_ game booked, alright?"

"That sounds good, Carmen."

A small smirk, and like a flash she was gone.

Rei turned to Kaworu. "...Mari?"

Mari as Kaworu gave a downcast look. "Mom n-never really talked about it too much w-with me. Understandable. I was y-young. But... I know some d-details about it."

The group immediately understood the significance of these words. "Your mother was _Irish_. Your... family was affected by this."

"Before _I_ w-was born, yeah. It was the r-reason they e-ended up in America, actually. They... couldn't h-handle what was going on t-there anymore."

A small silence.

"...Confronting, eh?" Asuka thought. "You're lucky your mum got out of there when she did. Course... that's probably not much comfort at this point."

"Not... not too m-much." She admitted. "She never r-really bought it up, so _I_ h-had to look it up. The _First_ Troubles, they c-call it."

"Implying there is a _second_."

A nod towards Eliza. "...Yeah. Which... well, I s-suppose this is just a r-reminder of."

Another small silence.

"You need a hug." Stated Asuka.

"...I d-don-"

Before she did just that. "That wasn't a _request_ , Mari."

A small moment of hesitation from Mari as Kaworu was followed by her hands wrapping around Asuka, holding her close.

...Yeah. She needed it. "...T-Thanks, Asuka."

"Don't mention it, Mari."

* * *


	4. After 04

* * *

## 1\. Six Four

Sixty four kilobytes was once considered quite a bit of data.

Indeed, back in the seventies when Voyager 1 launched, and was now in various parts within a lead lined room in a secure location somewhere close to the capital of the Swan Confederacy, sixty four kilobytes was an absurd amount for _storage_ , let alone memory.

Spencer Makinami couldn't help but feel amused at this dichotomy, as he slowly fed the sixty four kilobyte tape Voyager 1 once possessed into a computer with over a _hundred_ _times_ the amount in RAM alone.

God knows if the data was anything _relevant_ , but it was a good place to start. With just about every other instrument powered down, Hawthorne was able to get the tape recorder running and... well, _recording_. Recording during the event that seemingly removed it from this universe. Perhaps even recording while _in_ this other universe. He thought no reason why it _wouldn't_ , being a nuclear powered space probe.

So it was with some trepidation the sizeable computer, the best mainframe the Polytechnic had to offer, programmed and operated like it were some arcane relic (which it honestly was; Makinami hadn't seen that kind of computer since the _early nineties_ , but you make do with what you have), processed and tried best to interpret whatever Godforsaken format the tape was programmed in.

Where in came his significant other, two mugs of coffee in hand.

"Thanks, Claire." As he took and sipped. "I'm kinda amazed they _have_ coffee here."

"They didn't for a while, from what I heard." Claire pulled up a chair and sat adjacent, her mug firmly on the table. "Even _this_ stuff, it's just instant."

"Well I suppose we should've _expected_ to give up some luxury, in a country like this."

She couldn't help but giggle at this remark. "Barring stuff like _that_ , it's pretty... _nice_ down here." She thought aloud, a small smile on her face. "Sleepy city, not much going on. Kinda reminds me of _my_ home."

Spencer snickered. "Yeah, and your home was a town in _Wyoming_ , of all places."

Rolling her eyes. "Just because _you're_ more of a city slicker. But I suppose that just makes this place the best of _both_ worlds: a sparsely populated capital."

"Which leads to _another_ issue with small towns." He huffed, pointing to the front page of _The New Albany Advertiser_. _'INTERSTELLAR PROBE FOUND AT DOORSTEP'._ "Word gets around _fast_."

"Well, I say as long as no one starts doing anything _funny_ , let'em look." She noted in amusement. "You're probably the _only_ agent of a sorts in the _southern hemisphere_ , let alone _Australia_ and let alone _this_ part of Australia. Plus, I imagine this was the most _interesting_ thing they've _ever_ seen."

"Not every day a probe that most likely went _interstellar_ a few years ago winds up on your doorstep." He huffed. "Hopefully they don't charge us for littering like they did when _Skylab_ landed in old Western Australia."

A bark of a laugh from the woman. "Good luck trying to get _that_ money now."

The mainframe binged, a veritable _dump_ of data displaying on the screen. "Claire?"

Her secretary instincts took over, and she procured a pen and a pad.

"The eggheads were able to get a dump of the computer before isolating the RTG; I owe them a _lot_ of hazard for that. Assuming nothing funny happened with the computer or the global timer, we should have a range of approximately _ten minutes_ , when the probe was in Dirac."

He gave a few seconds for his other to finish scribbling. "Beginning analysis."

A few clicks on the keyboard, and the mainframe pointed out potential data of note. "Data from Dirac starts from the 3rd kilobyte."

The screen jumped, and Spencer began scrolling.

"Five... five... f-" Furrowing his brow, as he scrolled faster, finding something that _wasn't_ garbage. "Okay, looks like... image data." As he glanced to a sizeable printout, essentially a custom data sheet for the ancient probe.

"Better than _fives_ , at least." The secretary idly commented, noting it down.

"Should _expect_ some junk, I suppose." As he typed yet more, aiming to interpret said data. "I imagine _most_ things would struggle to interpret a realm of pure _nothingness_."

Another ding, the computer making quick work of the relatively small images.

First image was, to be expected, a realm of pure white. Nothing in sight, save for some debris on the camera.

Second image, the debris on the camera grew _larger_.

It was around here Spencer suspected they were _not_ in fact debris.

Now curious, he cycled through images three and four, said spots growing ever larger. And by the fifth image, Spencer was able to start making out some _details_ of said spots. "...Fascinating."

"What _is_ that?"

"I don't know." He concluded. "I'm sure the _other_ images will help."

The sixth image was a field of pure purple, and the seventh image was the salt pillars of Antarctica.

"So much for _that_." As she wrote down some more.

"Feh. We got print material, at least."

"I'm assuming we'll get it sent out?"

A nod, typing some more before the screen went dark. "After we get some rest."

"Heh. Fair enough." She sighed. "We just had _coffee_ , though."

"I'm sure we can _spend_ that time, somehow."

Claire immediately picked up on the subtext, and smirked. "Not like there's much _else_ to do here."

~

Asuka's eyes fluttered open with the morning sun.

And looked into the golden eyes of the ashen haired boy. "...Whose eyes am I looking into?"

"My own."

A small giggle, trying not to wake up everyone else. "See, I'd _accept_ that answer, if not for the fact there's _two_ people in there."

"What if I w-want to leave you guessing?"

"Heh. And a good morning to you as well, Mari."

"...Damn this stutter of m-mine."

"You shouldn't bash yourself for something you can't control, y'know." As her hands stretched out to grab his... her... _their_ hands. "It's not _your_ fault, after all."

A glance away. "...Yeah. A lotta t-things aren't my fault, are they."

"So say we all, Mari." With a sad smile. "But... you _are_ getting better."

"...The company helps, I t-think."

"I think that, as well." The smile remained. "Tell you what. You ever need a _girl_ to hang out with or to talk with, you can count on _me_."

"Rei d-doesn't count?"

A giggle. " _Another_ girl to hang out with, then. And I'm sure _Eliza_ will feel the same, when she gets her own body back."

"...I'm s-still not sure if I even _want_ a body for myself b-back."

"Well, all else fails, we can just put Kaworu in a _wig_."

It started off as a soft giggle, but soon enough Mari was laughing loud enough that she threatened to wake up the rest of the people on their shared bed. "Oh yeah, he'd be _very_ happy about that."

"Was that _you_ or Kaworu?"

"Either way w-works."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." With a snicker. "I'm assuming you slept alright?"

Mari or Kaworu nodded.

"Good, good. What say you we get _everyone_ up and reading?"

" _You_ sound s-strangely eager for it."

She shrugged. "I complain a _lot_ about it, but it's still probably one of the _best_ works involving us. Based _solely_ on how it treats Shinji and I."

"And f-from what it sounds like, it's _really_ t-that bad." Flat. "And _I'm_ apparently in o-one of them."

"Honestly, you were one of the _few_ people in that particular work that _didn't_ suffer." She thought. "Hell, you _loved_ what was going on."

"...And I'm guessing t-that means I met _Shinji_."

"D'ya want me to spoil it for you?"

"I'm _curious_ about it n-now, so _yes please_."

"You _skydived_ onto the roof of our school, _collided_ into Shinji, crawled up to him on _all fours_ like you were a _cat_ , _sniffed him,_ and then _complemented_ the smell of LCL on him.

Mari blinked. "...That sounds pretty fucking _awesome_ , actually."

_Asuka_ blinked. "I expected you to be a bit more _concerned_ at that."

"I mean, I wouldn't just _s-sniff_ someone. But my Nephilim-sense is _smell_." She shrugged. " Or _was_. And... I never really _minded_ t-the smell of LCL, weird it sounds. It was... _comforting_."

"...Y'know, I can relate to that." The candle softly admitted. "You wouldn't _crawl up_ on anyone though, would you?"

"I mean, if you _w-wanted_ me to."

A playful push on her shoulder. "At least buy me _dinner_ first, Mari."

"Heh. A-Anything else of that version of me I s-should know of?"

Asuka thought. "Glasses?"

Mari shook her head. "Used t-to, but NERV paid for surgery for... I t-think it was astigmatism? They d-didn't want any loose o-objects flying in the cockpit."

"Fair, fair." With a few small nods. "Green plugsuit?"

"Always t-thought it was ugly myself."

"Well, you'd be glad to hear you eventually got a _pink_ plugsuit."

There was a slight pause. "... _Pink_?"

Asuka nodded.

"...N- _nice_. Sounds like _t-that_ version of me is at least _s-somewhat_ similar." With a huff. "I'm not _mental_ , am I?"

"Yeah I was gonna get to that."

" _Damn it_."

The candle once more giggled at this little chat between girls. "Could be _worse_ , y'know." She pointed out. "So what say you? Wanna get everyone up and reading?"

Mari briefly thought. "No p-point in burning daylight."

Before looking down to Shinji and Rei. Shinji was currently curled up to the side of Asuka, and Rei was currently pinning Kaworu/Mari to the bed. "Heh. That's k-kinda adorable."

"Yeah, they're like that." With a soft smile, as she started prodding Shinji with her foot. "Oi, idiot."

"...mmmeh?"

"Sleep well?"

"...mmmeh."

"Wanna get up?"

"...mmneh." As he curled up some more.

Still using her foot, Asuka pushed Shinji off the bed.

"...Alright alright, I'm getting up."

" _That's_ the spirit!" Turning to Rei. "Do I have to do the same with _you_ , Rei?"

"...No."

With the quote unquote _encouragement_ from Asuka, it didn't take long for the group to tumble out of the bed and stumble into the kitchen, the group getting their own breakfast. "Y'know, it's pretty funny how we just stopped _bothering_ with whipping up breakfast." Noted Shinji.

"It's a vacation for _you_ as well, Shinji." Smirked Kaworu, pouring cereal. "Do we have any milk left?"

Asuka was looking in the fridge for the exact same thing. "Nope."

Kaworu thought for a second, shrugged, and just ate the cereal as it was.

"Eh, can't blame you for that." As she just decided to get some toast, like Rei and Shinji decided on. "Mari might, though."

"Eh." Mari shrugged, as she got another spoonful. "H-House rules and that."

"Certainly a way of putting it." Eliza mused, as Rei applied her spread. "I'm assuming after breakfast we'll get started with the read."

"I mean, there's nothing really stopping us from _starting_." Shrugged Shinji.

And so they did, plates of various food in hand. "Wonder how much crumbs we're gonna get on it."

"This is most likely the one work we would _not_ want to abuse."

Flat stares from... just about _everyone_.

"Point taken."

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.27: The Dance Of The Hearts **

_Haircut_ **(Page 295)**

A: "I imagine it's been a _while_ since I had a haircut."

S: "Not like _hairdressers_ exist after the end of the world, after all."

K: "Much like Wolk's work, it'll be up to _you_ to handle it."

E: "I would _say_ it could involve Shinji, as well."

A: "Yeah but you guys _already_ know she would _never_ let Shinji do something like _that_."

M: "Could serve as a g-good excuse to _abuse_ him more."

A: "Though _speaking_ of that, I'm probably in need of a decent haircut." Flicking her hair. "When was the last time one of you cut my hair, a few months ago?"

R: "I am debating that, as well."

A: "Looking to grow your hair out a bit, Rei?"

R: "Perhaps." With a slight smile. "See how I look with longer hair."

A: "Be ready to deal with it a _lot_ more, Rei. You wonder why I tend to take my time in the bathroom, it's mainly dealing with _this_ mop."

... **(296)**

R: "It certainly gave you an _opportunity_ to experiment, at least."

E: "You even got Mama's _mole_ under her eye."

K: "Rather fascinating how adjusting ones hair can change... well, just about _everything._ "

S: "I wonder how _Toji_ would react if he saw you with _Hikari's_ haircut."

A: "Heh, probably shock and confusion. Though I'm sure even someone like _him_ would be able to notice Hikari's _freckles_."

M: "I'm assuming y-you _wouldn't_ get your hair in the style of those t-two?"

A barked laugh. "Why on Earth _would_ I? I think the _only_ reason I'd get it cut like that was if I lost a _bet_!"

R: "It is not even a hair _cut_. It is merely adjusting ones hair."

A: "As if I'd actually _cut_ it in a style like that." She huffed. "Maybe I try _your_ style next."

K: "I imagine you could have fun with _that_."

... **(297)**

A: "Yeah that's what _I_ was thinking!"

R: "Finally, someone you two can see eye to eye on."

M: "I wonder how long it's b-been since you even _brushed_ your hair."

E: "Apocalypse situations probably would not _allow_ for such thing, at least more often than expected normally."

S: "Just look at _Mad Max_."

K: "Of course, that could just be _Australia_." With a snicker. "And Asuka, I'm sure _Shinji_ would consider you beautiful no matter _what_ hairstyle you have."

A: " _I_ certainly know that. _She_ probably knows as well, under that tsun."

... **(298)**

A: "Oh wow I actually _do_ get your hairstyle."

R: "It is not _that_ bad." Rolling her eyes.

M: "I'm assuming from that _l-lightbulb_ , you have an idea."

S: "Specifically an idea to trick _me_."

E: "Depends if you're _naive_ enough to believe she _is_ Rei."

K: "Yes, a Rei with blue eyes and auburn hair."

A: "Maybe Shinji won't be able to tell. The world's in black and white, after all."

R: "I would think _colour_ would still exist to them, even if it does not exist to _us_."

... **(299)**

M: "Well _that's_ p-probably the first shot of your bust we got."

A: "That _wasn't_ a Christmas special."

S: "You _really_ look a bit like Rei, Asuka."

E: "Her face isn't _exact_ , of course."

R: "I am more surprised you even _have_ an old school uniform. Considering your dislike for them."

K: "And considering we should _not_ be in Japan. If the previous chapters were anything."

A: "Strange how a lot of the world looks like _Japan_ , eh."

M: "You drove a _F-Fiat_ , I guess."

A: "Oh yeah, _very_ culturally inclusive, driving perhaps the _worst_ vehicle to come outta that damn _boot_."

S: "Either way, I'm sure _I'll_ be confused."

E: "That, or _terrified_. Just like when she decided to go _traditional_ for a day."

_Ikari-kun_ **(Page 300)**

R: "We could say the confusion has _began_."

K: "Even if he sees right _through_ it."

S: "I think I'd be wondering _why_ you decided to look like Rei."

A: "I'm just waiting for her to _hit you_ for some apparent slight or _something_ stupid."

M: "Hopefully it d-doesn't distract him _too much_ from the meal he's c-cooking up."

E: "Though consider _last time_ Asuka did something like this, he forgot he was cooking."

A: "She probably thinks it's _worth it_ , in order to trick _Shinji_."

... **(301)**

They couldn't help but snicker, sans Asuka. "Knew it."

S: "Damned if you _do_ , damned if you _don't_."

K: "Maybe colour _does_ exist in that world."

E: "That surprise is probably _why_ you did it in the first place."

R: "The _reaction_ tends to be the payoff for that."

M: "And I'm guessing A-Asuka didn't _expect_ him to react like that."

S: "Maybe I don't even _see_ Rei in her. I just see it as a regular _haircut_."

A: "Oh you're not _that_ dense, I'd think."

... **(302)**

R: "Not even _density_ , at that point."

M: "We even _suggested_ s-something like that, didn't we?"

A: "Yeah, my face looks pretty _different_ from yours, eh?"

E: "And you'd probably _still_ find offence if Shinji thought you _did_ look the same to Rei."

A: "I probably _would_ , since _that_ Asuka would _never_ pass up an opportunity to abuse Shinji."

K: "As Shinji said. Though now there's the question on _why_ you blushed."

S: "Maybe I like the hairstyle on her." She shrugged. "I mean, I probably _am_ biased for such a haircut."

A: "Goes back to your _mama_ , doesn't it."

S: "That's what _I'm_ thinking. Of course, I've grown to love _your_ hair, haven't I?"

A: "Heh, yeah. Though it's good to know _if_ I decide I'm done with dealing with long hair, you'd still like the look." She smirked. "Maybe do what I did in _Wolk's work_."

... **(303)**

M: "Almost like y-you _knew_ what he'd say."

S: "I mean, I _am_ him, am I?"

K: "And _here_ we see the welling tsun."

A small huff from the candle. "I'm sure she'll react like a _volcano_."

E: "As befits a tsundere."

A: "Hey Rei, is _that_ why you wanted to try longer hair?"

R: "...Not _exactly_."

Asuka giggled as Rei glanced away. "Ah I'd think you'd look _good_ with such hair, Rei."

A slight blush creeped up on the Nephilim.

_Regular Hair_ **(Page 304)**

A: "Yeah, as I kinda expected."

M: "And now t-to react with your _true_ feelings."

E: "Somewhere _isolated_."

A: "Once again, as befits someone like _me_."

S: "And once again, it didn't exactly benefit the _food_."

R: "To Asuka's detriment, I am sure."

A: "I generally _don't_ mess with Shinji while he's making food for that exact reason."

K: "Of course, food wouldn't be on your mind _at the moment_."

A: "Oh God no, she's probably thinking about how she _hate's Shinji_ or something stupid like that."

... **(305)**

R: "Either way, it looks like you _do_ appreciate the comment."

E: "Albeit in _private_."

A: "Not like I'd _tell_ Shinji I love him, even though I obviously _do_."

M: "I'm sure _e-eventually_."

A: "Yeah, _something_ will eventually have to get through all those _layers_ I have."

S: "We're already _kissing_ every now and again, so something _has_ gotten through."

K: "You already share a bed, as well. And judging by Shinji's _lack_ of clothing, you have obviously gotten _that_ close, as well."

A: "And yet I'm _still_ that tsun to him." Muttering. "Though... yeah, it _does_ sound like I soften up a bit in _bed_ , at the very least."

M: "Means y-you have someone _warm_ to share it with."

A: "Heh, that's one of my _favourite_ things about sleeping with someone, Mari. At least when the _temperatures_ are alright."

S: " _Summers_ can be pretty... well, a lotta _sweat_."

A: "And there's only so much you can _strip down_ as well." With a huff. "Though having fans and air conditioning _does_ help that. Doubt it's much issue for _you two_."

R: "Not much, no." She admitted.

... **(306)**

K: "That poor pillow."

A: "At least it's not _Shinji_." She chuckled. "And I'm sure you'd _still_ think I was pretty with _bed look_ , Shinji."

S: "I _do_ like waking up to you, so it's to be expected I'd think."

A small blush.

R: "And I am sure _you_ like that there, in some way."

M: "Otherwise, I'm s-sure you _wouldn't_ be sleeping in the same b-bed as him."

E: " _Could_ you share a bed with someone you don't like?"

A: "It'd be pretty _uncomfortable_ for the both of you, that's for sure. It's a good thing I _love_ Shinji then, eh?"

**(Page 307, 308)**

"Heh... whoops."

"Thing is, we can't know if that was _deliberate_ or not."

"I'd _hope_ it wasn't deliberate, cause that just screws _me_ over."

"At least you are having a better time with _me_." Noted Rei.

"Despite the _impossibility_ of it all."

"I would've _s-said_ it could've just been _two_ Asuka's. But I think P-Pengel _deliberately_ did the shading a bit different."

"Otherwise, we would have similar looking shades."

"Maybe _I_ should do your haircut next, Asuka." Mused Shinji.

"After messing _that_ up, I probably wouldn't even let you _near_ my hair in fear or _reprisal_."

~~~

** 2.28: A Girl's Sure-Kill Move/The Boy's Counter-Attack **

_Kiss_ **(Page 309)**

M: "I'm sure he'd f-find _that_ surprising."

S: "What's the catch."

A: "Pfft, can't have a good kiss with you _without_ you thinking it's a trap of some sort?"

E: "You've seen how _that_ Asuka has been like, right?"

A: "Yeah, I know."

R: "Either way, it is just _another_ example on how _close_ you two are getting."

K: "Indeed, if you are _comfortable_ enough with him to be like _that_."

A: "Even though I _outwardly_ say otherwise."

... **(310)**

A: "Case in point."

M: " _I'd_ say h-he was keeping his hands to himself."

A: "But I _want_ him to put his hands on me."

E: "I think he's _scared_ of that."

S: "I really _shouldn't_ be. It was putting my hands on you that _really_ made our kiss, wasn't it?"

A: "And _that_ was an accident, pretty much."

R: "A good thing it happened the way it happened, then."

K: "Of course, as Asuka suggested, there was a _reason_ she did what she did."

A: "Because I _love him_?" She huffed. "I _really_ need to learn to like your _hands_ , Shinji."

M: "I thought y-you _already_ slept together."

A: "Yeah, but I don't think we've gotten to _snuggling_. At least the _mutual_ sorta snuggling."

R: "I am sure we will get to that in time."

... **(311)**

S: "Ah, I picked up on that."

E: "She's gotta occupy her time _somehow_." With a snicker.

A: "And what better way then to experience some _bodily pleasure_?"

K: "I suppose _sewing_ would have at least _some_ use in the scenario you two are in."

R: "It _would_ be useful in fixing various clothing. Not like you can scavenge forever."

A: "And I might actually have some clothing I'd _like_ to keep."

M: " _Can_ you s-sew, Shinji?"

Shinji shrugged. "Never _tried_ it, though I could always pick it up."

... **(312)**

M: "So y-you _denied_ him, but you _wanted_ h-him to do it?"

A: "Wouldn't be the _first_ time I sent the wrong message."

S: "Even our _kiss_ started off like that, eh?"

A: "Yeah. Good thing I realised it was completely _stupid_ to dance around like that."

E: "Such thing _never_ made much sense to me."

R: "Society is like that."

K: "Indeed. Society at large is one of the main _influences_ on how relationships are established. That and the _experiences_ of the individual."

A: "And God knows _our_ experiences affected our relationships. Though I think as a whole, we pretty much said _screw you_ to society."

R: "As long as we are _happy_ with ourselves, it does not _matter_ what others should think of us."

M: "...That s-sounds pretty _insular_. Though t-then again, I think that's just a thing w-with Evangelion pilots. God knows that w-was like that with _me_."

S: "That's one of the reasons why _we_ all got so close with one another. There's... not really _many_ people that know how it's _like_. Not just _piloting_ the Evangelion, but... pretty much _everything else_."

A: "Yeah... but even _with_ all that happened to us. It got us _together_."

E: "And I doubt _anyone_ here would deny the good that brought."

R: "Considering it most likely _saved_ this world."

M: "...Sounds like I'm a g-good fit."

**(Page 313, 314)**

"More lyrics and images and significant words." Noted Kaworu.

"At least they're _tasteful_." Before the candle huffed. "Though I don't know why I'd wear _polka dots_."

"I don't think they look too bad on you, Asuka."

"Of course _you_ don't." With a small blush.

"You _do_ look rather cute in that."

"...You're not helping, Rei." The blush continued.

~~~

** 2.29: Reflecting By The Lamplight **

_Look At Me_ **(Page 315)**

K: "Your true feelings."

A: "It's _about time_ this starts to slip through my facade."

E: "It already _has_. But the walls have stayed up."

M: "Much like the w-walls of Jericho."

K: "Ah, but you would _know_ , the walls of Jericho came _tumbling down_."

R: "Only a matter of time, then."

A: "Can't come quickly enough." She huffed. "Maybe I wouldn't feel so lonely if I didn't push Shinji _away_ from me."

S: "Thing is, it's _not_ pushing me away, is it?"

A: "Yeah." Another huff. "What did she do to deserve you, Shinji?"

S: " _Loving you_ certainly helps."

... **(316)**

A: "What kinda car is _that_?"

R: "Large enough to fit _you two_ , we know that much."

E: "Then again, many seats in a car is rather _pointless_ in a world where only _two people_ remain."

M: "Judging by the _steering w-wheel_ , you're certainly not in America or even _Europe_."

S: "Do other places have the steering wheel on the _other_ side?"

A: "Yeah, European cars have the wheel on the _left_. Either we're _still_ in Japan, or we somehow found our way to _England_."

K: "It could be _India_. They were formerly British, and it's reasonable to think they would continue to use said system."

E: "Or _maybe_ , Pengel was too _lazy_ to do their research on where the steering wheel goes."

A: "Yeah that's _also_ a possibility."

S: "So how do you think I can help you _sleep_?"

A: "Probably the same way you help me sleep _here_ , Shin-chan." With a smirk. "Using _you_ as a pillow."

K: "If her tsun _allows_ such thing."

... **(317)**

R: "Her tsun may. In a way."

A: "I think even just _knowing_ you're close would help, Shinji."

M: "It's _already_ looking like it's c-cheering you up."

K: "The sight of your lover in bed tends to do such thing."

E: "A fact almost _everyone_ here knows."

R: "It depends what _Mari_ thinks." She prodded.

To her splutter.

S: "It's the eyes, I'm sure."

A: "Well, I _do_ like 'em, Shin-chan. I see myself in them."

R: "I am sure if you were _that_ close, you _would_ see yourself in them."

A small snicker. "You know what I mean, Rei."

_There I Am_ **(Page 318)**

A: "Oh I _guess_ the literal meaning works as well!"

Rei smirked. "Just so."

K: "The significance is still there. Perhaps even _more so_."

E: "We actually get a _visual_ of that significance."

S: "That was one of the _first_ things we realised about each other, when we got together."

A: "Yeah. _You're just like me_." With a soft smile.

M: "The more I _hear_ a-about that, the more I'm convinced you t-two came out of a _Disney film_."

A: "Probably the _darkest_ Disney movie, even _then_ it wouldn't be dark enough." She blinked. "Actually, what dark Disney movies _are_ there?"

M: "Hunchback."

A: "...Oh _yeah_ , I need to _watch_ that again."

R: "We might have it on a Laserdisc."

... **(319)**

Asuka huffed. "Wouldn't be the _first_ time I messed the mood up."

R: "The words were spoken, at the very least."

K: "Indeed. And the _significance_ of said words would _not_ be lost on you two."

M: "And maybe the mood s-stays high _regardless_."

E: "Shinji _has_ been pretty good at rolling with the punches."

S: "In _both_ figurative and literal senses."

A: "And ain't I'm lucky you _do_."

... **(320)**

M: "Heh, _like a-always_?"

A: "Well, at least we're _that_ far along."

E: "I'm assuming it's just _snuggling_."

R: "I do not think they are _that_ far along, as of yet."

S: "Give it a few hundred pages or so."

Asuka snorted. "You _wish_ , eh?"

K: " _You_ would wish that as well." He flatlined.

A: "And you're _completely right_. Even though I doubt Pengel would even _suggest_ such thing."

R: "He _can_ be fanservicey when he wants to."

M: "Most of that stuff h-has been kinda _tasteful_ , so far."

K: "Even removing my head when I _tried_ to make some fanservice."

A: "Maybe it just has to be _Christmas_ or something."

... **(321)**

K: "Looks like you'll get a good sleep, tonight."

Asuka couldn't help but smile. "It's a good way of knowing they're _there_ , eh?"

R: "Why do you think _I_ hold Kaworu at night."

E: "Or practically _anyone_ we're close with."

M: "Sounds like o-other people serve as good _h-heaters_."

S: "Well, you _are_ sharing your body heat."

A: " _Especially_ if you're not wearing too much." She suggested. "Which _I'm_ not wearing too much. Though why the hell are you wearing _slacks_ to bed, Shin-chan?"

E: "Because you'd most likely berate him for wearing anything less."

A: "That's just a detriment to _me,_ at that point."

... **(322)**

A: "You better _not_ turn that off. I _like_ hearing your heartbeat, Shinji."

R: "It would also _kill him_ if he turned it off."

A: "Yeah, that too."

A flat look from Shinji. "Don't suppose _you two_ could do that."

Kaworu shook his head. "You still need to get the energy around the body _somehow_. I... would know."

S: "I'm sure you'll get used to it, Asuka."

E: "Sounds like she did _here_."

A: "You _bet_ , and I'm sure _anyone_ would when they get so _close_ with someone."

M: "You just n-need to _learn_ that?"

A: "I gotta learn a lot _more_ stuff, Mari. Like actually being _decent_ for once."

R: "In which sense?"

A: "The _social_ sense. _Clothing_ sense, I suppose I could be wearing _less_."

S: "I know _I_ wouldn't mind that."

Asuka poked her tongue at him.

**(Page 323)**

"Yet _a-another_ song?"

"I would assume." Thought Rei.

"It kinda r-removes the significance when you can't really _understand_ it."

"I don't even think it's a _real_ song anyway, Mari." Supposed Asuka. "Maybe in wherever _Pengel's_ from, it's a song."

"In which case, this is akin to how _Bond_ put particular lyrics in his work."

"We understood _one_ of the songs they put in there."

"Yeah, and it was God damn _Tumbling Down_." Asuka muttered. "Or _whatever_ it was called."

"Komm süsser Tod, I believe the credits called it."

Asuka shrugged. "I like Tumbling Down better actually."

~~~

** 2.30: Beneath the Moonlight **

_Moonlight Embrace_ **(Page 324)**

Kaworu (most likely as Mari) was now blushing excessively.

Rei (most likely as _Eliza_ ) was however flat. " _Merry Christmas_."

Asuka burst out laughing at that remark. "Well, if _this_ ain't a good lovemaking, I don't know _what_ is."

K: "About time, I'm sure you're thinking."

A: "Well _yeah_ , it's been over _three hundred_ pages so far."

M: "I... t-though you were a _lot_ more back than that."

R: "As we know, the body is good at expressing what _words_ often fail too."

S: "And... it's certainly rather _loving_ , from the looks of it."

A: "Like how _we_ do it, eh?"

M: "I'd _say_ t-that was too much information, but that s-ship sailed last week." She wryly remarked. "And you guys a-are rather _casual_ about us seeing you... w-well, like _that_."

A: "As you said, Mari." With a smirk. "Plus, yes we aren't wearing any clothing at all and we're fucking under the moonlight, but it's _still_ rather tasteful. If I say so myself."

R: "This is not a _hentai_ , after all. Pengel has made _that_ clear, at the very least."

... **(325)**

M: "I'm sure the _springs_ on t-the bed were making _plenty_ of noise just n-now."

A: "Heh, _maybe_. But this is _after_ the fact, isn't it?"

S: " _I_ don't really mind such thing, myself."

R: "Makes you two feel like the only people in the world, I would assume."

E: "Only in _this_ case, that's _accurate_."

K: "At the very least, you two don't have to worry about _keeping quiet_."

A: "Do we even bother anyway?"

S: "At least when you aren't bugging _Misato_."

R: "Or if she is bugging _you two_."

M: "Isn't s-she your _guardian_?"

A: "What's a good game of _who can scream loudest_ every once in a while?"

S: "It gets us some _ramen_ sometimes, at least." He shrugged.

Mari blinked. "And this is _n-normal_." She asked no one in particular.

R: "Sometimes we put up an AT-Field to mute them out, sometimes we listen on."

K: "I recall a _few_ times you even _joined in_."

Mari butted in. "Man y'all are _p-perverts_."

E: "You get used to it."

... **(326)**

A: "Well _you_ certainly have big plans, Shin-chan!"

R: "Not that it would be _wise_ to continue such thing after a generation."

K: "Unless you _want_ a repeat of Charles II of Spain."

A: "Nah we're not doing anything _Hapsburg_ related. From what it _sounds_ , humans might return after a while anyway."

E: "And they _might_. We don't how how long people might _wait_ to come back, though."

S: "So it could be a lot _longer_ than hundreds of years. And I know in _Wolk's work_ , we had around _five years_ without _anyone_ coming back."

A: "And after those five years, we were just _thrown back_ , so not like we could _know_."

R: "We do have examples of _return_ , however. Kimigabuchi's work, at least _one_ other person returned. And we know how... _excessive_ Bond's work was."

M: "So... one d-day but don't count on it?"

A: "Yeah. Though depending if Shinji or I found any _protection_ , I might be having our offspring _earlier_ than we thought."

K: "I doubt _Shinji_ would complain."

A: "Hell _I_ wouldn't really complain too much as well. You guys know how _I_ feel about that."

... **(327)**

M: "Oh and who a-are _you_ then, Asuka."

A: "Partner and lover in the sheets, tsundere everywhere else."

E: "Certainly seems to be the _pattern_ , at least."

K: "Of course, though _process of elimination_ , we can say the only partner there _could_ be is _you_ , Asuka."

S: "The fact we _can_ use process of elimination."

R: "We know _you_ want children as well, Asuka. You _dreamed_ about it."

A: "I wouldn't say that to _Shinji_ , would I?"

M: "Just another thing he h-has to figure out for himself?"

S: "Or pick up on with context."

A: "You're getting pretty _good_ at that, if I say so myself." A chuckle. "Plus, more noise is not _that_ bad a thing, eh? Even _if_ it's a screaming child."

M: "Don't think _I'd_ l-like that."

R: "One of the _sacrifices_ often taken by new parents are the loss of anything more than _two hours_ of sleep at a time."

K: "Such thing would be _worth it_ , all the same."

R: "Indeed." With a smile.

_Straddle_ **(Page 328)**

E: "Well you could've reacted _worse_ to that complement."

A: "I _have_ reacted worse."

R: "The fact it looks like you want _another_ ride on his balony pony, as I put it."

A: "You _remember_ that?"

Rei simply smirked.

K: "I doubt Pengel will be this _blatant_. Considering what it was like when they _did_ show the deed being done."

A: "Just cause _you_ got beheaded when you tried the same thing, Kaworu."

M: "Sounds like it t-taught you an _aversion_ to such thing, Ash."

K: "Losing your head tends to teach you that, I feel."

S: "Good thing we're not in a _dream_."

E: "And Pengel is benevolent enough to _not_ torture you two."

A: "That _attitude_ of mine is doing pretty good at torturing _me_."

... **(329)**

K: "You _liked_ the complement."

A: "That's even _better_ than I thought! Maybe I _should_ smile at that."

M: "A smile at _S-Shinji_?"

A: "Heh, I know right? _That's_ something she'd do in a blue moon."

E: "Unless he can get through that tsun."

A: "We literally just _fucked_ and I'm _still_ like that. I don't think _anything's_ changing that."

R: "Maybe it is like carving a fine marble sculpture. It requires fine and constant chipping at the block, and takes time."

S: "Can't deny I got the _tool_ for it." He muttered.

A: "That's _exactly_ why she made that analogy, I bet."

Rei adopted an innocent look. "Whatever would make you think that?"

E: "She _was_ thinking that, by the way." A flat remark as she threw her sister under the bus.

... **(330)**

M: "Bit _extreme_ for a h-hickey."

A: "Ah a few _nibbles_ here and there are alright."

E: "That looks like _more_ than a few nibbles, though."

R: "Just _another_ way for a tsundere can show her love, I would think."

K: "It'd certainly _fit_ her."

S: "Even though I _still_ have that look on my face." He smirked.

A: "Yeah, but now I have that _satisfaction_ of my apparent revenge. And hey, maybe I _make it up_ to you." She suggested. "It's certainly a _possibility_ now, at least."

E: "Knowing _you_ , you wouldn't give _that_ feeling up."

A: "I _would_ complain about that, but that'd just be hypocritical of me at this point."

**(Page 331)**

"I actually found a _cello_ in the apocalypse."

"Not that _I'd_ complain." Asuka chuckled. "And I shouldn't complain _now_ , eh?"

"Given what Pengel showed you two doing."

"At least not in any g-graphic detail."

"Rather amazing how you can even _show_ that kind of thing _without_ resorting to anything egregious."

"Then again, coming from _Elfen Lied_ , _any_ sort of censorship is going to be seen as _Puritan_ in comparison."

" _Did_ Elfen Lied show any _s-sex_? Since I know it h-had a lot of _nudity._ And... _gore_."

"If you count getting to _second base_ , then Kouta had sex _daily_." Huffed Asuka. "And God knows what he'd be doing with his _cousin_ after all that shit happened. Oh yeah, _that_ happened, Mari."

"Roll t-tide." She muttered in reply. "You guys p-probably don't get that, eh."

"It's _related_ to that sorta thing, I know _that_ much."

"Related much like Kouta and Yuka, I'm sure." Wryly responded Kaworu.

~~~

** 2.31: Shinji's Dream **

_With Child_ **(Page 332)**

A: "Oh it only took us _fifteen years_?"

R: "You barely lasted a _year_ together in Wolk's work."

E: "I _would_ say they lasted longer in _Bond's work_ , but the pairings were all _scrambled_."

S: "That was still... what, five years?"

K: "And you two didn't even last _a few months_ in Kimigabuchi's work."

A: "Not that it even _mattered_ much in the end. Though I suppose that allowed my unborn child to _save_ me, so thanks for that Shinji."

M: "I _still_ don't g-get that."

A: "Don't worry Mari, _we_ don't get it either."

R: "Though it _sounds_ like either you have _friends_ , or this was not the _first_ child you two had."

... **(333)**

R: "It appears one of our bodies has had an _industrial revolution_."

K: "That's _seventeen_ right there. And also one _me_ , for some reason."

A: "I'd be more _impressed_ than anything if I had _that_ much children."

S: "Didn't you say Germany gives out _medals_ for that?"

A: "Only since _after_ Second Impact, at least in _modern_ Germany. Apparently, all you need to encourage people to have kids is to wave a shiny object in front of them, cause it fucking _worked_."

K: "I'm sure the _tax breaks_ and _other_ benefits would help, as well."

E: "Is _that_ why you want children?"

A: "Yes that's _exactly_ the reason I want children with Shinji, Eliza." She sardonically spoke. "If I wanted _medals_ , I would've just joined the armed forces instead of going to university."

M: "It's a d-different solution to what _America_ came up w-with, that's for sure. We just loosened up t-the marriage law a bit. Which is a _massive_ u-understatement, but it made the _Libertarians_ h-happy I suppose. Hell, it w-wouldn't surprise me if you guys _talked_ a-about it already."

S: "I think we _did_." As he recalled. "Don't they allow _multiple_ brides and grooms?"

M: "Poly, y-yeah. Not really sure _how_ e-effective it was."

A: "...Anything _else_ they did?"

Mari shook her head. "Nah, no _b-benefits_ , that's for sure. Congress p-pretty much did anything that _wouldn't_ c-cost money."

K: "As most governments are wont to do. Either way, _that_ many children would be worth a medal."

A: "You'd get like _three_ , and that's only cause it _caps off_ sometime after ten."

R: "It is rather amazing that, despite them all apparently coming from _you_ , they are _exactly_ like me in look and personality."

E: "Almost like it's a _dream_."

... **(334)**

A: "It's a nightmare to _me_."

R: "I am sure getting swarmed by children _would_ feel like that, even _if_ they were yours."

M: "That looks a _lot_ more than seventeen k-kids. What are you, a _gatling g-gun_?"

Asuka barked a laugh. "Looks like _Shinji_ wouldn't mind if I was, eh?" She prodded.

S: "Not exactly _realistic_ , eh?"

E: "Not just because her _factory_ created several dozen of the same person?"

K: "With one me. Perhaps I was a limited run."

M: "I'm assuming you would _n-not_ have that many kids."

A: "I mean, I didn't exactly have an _upper_ limit in mind; I was just gonna go with it and see how I went. But I _think_ that many kids would be _pushing_ whatever my limit is."

**(Page 335, 336)**

"Well that's _good_ you like being glad, cause _I_ certainly like being glad as well." Asuka mocked.

"You look pretty cute there." Shinji prodded.

"That was probably her _reaction_ to being called cute."

" _That_ Asuka's reaction to being called cute would be to _hit_ Shinji."

"And you're not even _wrong_ , Eliza." Muttered Asuka.

"You look p-pretty happy in the _other_ page, as well."

"I wonder if that was before or _after_ the thought of children left your mind, Asuka."

"Depends on that _dream_ of mine." She chuckled. "As I said, I'd just be _confused_ if I somehow had children that looked like Rei."

"I would question what exactly happened to _cause_ that."

"And it'll probably boil down to the _Evangelion_." Shinji muttered.

"As most things do, in our lives."

~~~

** 2.32: The Feeling Of Getting Closer **

_Let It Snow_ **(Page 337)**

E: "I suppose the _seasons_ are right, at least."

M: "Even t-though it was just _fine_ a few chapters ago."

A: "What're the chances that fuel's even _good_? It's probably _petrol_ , and we've already discussed how it goes _off_."

S: "Burning fuel indoors."

A: "Yeah but it's _cold_."

R: "I suppose you are _not_ in Japan, with _that_ much snow."

K: "It does snow there _sometimes_."

S: "It snowed in winter all the time _before_ Second Impact, according to my mum."

A: "Almost like a large explosion that kicks up dust and melts a lotta ice changes the climate some. Go figure."

M: "I thought the _a-axis_ changed."

K: "At best, it's an exaggeration. Indeed, such an explosion might have knocked the axis of the Earth off kilter. Perhaps by a few thousandths of a degree."

A: "Yeah Seele pretty much pulled that out of their _ass_. Same with that asteroid explanation, probably to play up how _world-rending_ it was."

E: "And to shield people from the _truth_ of the matter. Which _Mari_ most likely _doesn't_ know."

M: "I kinda _thought_ it w-was bullshit."

... **(338)**

K: "Suppose it makes sense. People adapt to their environment."

S: "It's a good enough explanation for me actually being _able_ to carry a jerry can."

A: "Oh they aren't _that_ heavy, Shin-chan."

E: "I can see _how_ having a higher body temperature would help in cooler conditions."

M: "You'd t-think such an adaption would occur in a _cool environment_."

R: "Perhaps if it was more _evolutionary_. But it is merely an _adaption_ to the environment."

A: "So why the hell am _I_ freezing my ass off, then? Germany's not the winter wonderland _my_ mama said it was back in the day, but it still gets pretty damn _cold_ , as you guys know."

K: "A good thing _this_ house is well insulated."

R: "Perhaps you got _used_ to the conditions of Japan."

... **(339)**

R: "I assume you realised _he_ was a good source of warmth."

A: "I think, yeah. And maybe I _shouldn't_ berate that source of warmth."

M: "A source that y-you _don't_ need to douse in gas."

E: "I thought cold food would've been _normal_ in an apocalypse."

S: "We _do_ have cooked foods, at least."

K: "But Eliza has a point. There'll be some times where you _can't_ have any hot food; either you are on the go or you do not have fuel for a fire or any other kind of heat."

A: "That's just like _us_ , though. We don't eat full meals when we're _piloting_ for long periods of time; you need something easy to eat and dense in energy, bars and gels and drinks and stuff like that."

R: "Akin to any other military or paramilitary organisation. And if Kensuke and his birds can eat _military rations_ semi-regularly, then _we_ can eat such food, as well."

A: "They aren't _that_ bad, Rei." She chuckled. "They're deliberately _designed_ to help boost morale, so you'd _hope_ they were good."

... **(340)**

S: "Yeah I got myself into that situation."

A: "And you _do_ serve as a great space heater!"

R: "Perhaps _that_ is why."

E: "Can't deny it saves _fuel_."

M: "And d-doesn't let gas fumes fill the room, as well."

A: "So it saved our lives, as well!"

K: "You could say such thing had the same effect _here_ , as well."

M: "Only it s-sounds like you saved _everyone_ with w-what you did."

R: "Technically they _still_ saved everyone just then."

S: "Helps _everyone_ in this case means _two people_."

A: "Though either way, the fact I'm _like_ this is _good_! Means I'm getting even _closer_ to you, Shin-chan!"

E: "Is being _inside you_ not close enough?"

Asuka barked a laugh. "Not for _her_ , obviously."

... **(341)**

A: "Ah yes, my pure _spite_ for you will form Type-D equipment out of thin air."

E: "Wouldn't that just provide _insulation_?"

S: "Maybe a Type-D _plugsuit_."

M: "And coming f-from _you_ as well, Asuka."

A: "Yeah, Shinji's _already_ pointing that out."

R: "It would be even _worse_ if he _remembered_ what you did while he was _sick_."

K: "I think it was _you_ saying he had a previous offence, Asuka."

A: "Eh?" As she glanced at the position of the speech bubbles. "Oh. What offence do _you_ have?"

M: "Would _breathing_ in her g-general area be an offence?"

R: "Perhaps to _her_."

A: "I was the one who _wanted_ him that close, though." She huffed. "Though then again, I _have_ complained about him breathing before so I don't fuckin know."

... **(342)**

R: "Was that back during _Israfel_?"

A: "But I _wanted_ him to get closer to me then!"

E: "Not that you'd admit that."

S: "But you probably _would_ kill me if I admitted to that."

K: "I thought she _already_ knew about that."

M: "Knew a-about _what_?"

A: "Either way if he _did_ tell me about that, I'd probably do to him what I did to _you_ , Kaworu."

R: "At least where you are at the _moment_."

E: "If anything, it might be a good way to let her know you're _honest_ with her."

A: "Yes I'm sure he'll be thinking that as his head flies into a garbage bin."

M: "What t-the hell _happened_?"

R: "Should you tell her, Kaworu?"

K: "I might as well." Before they went silent for a brief moment.

M: "...Oh."

A: "Yeah, but thing is, _I_ wasn't _mad_ at Shinji. I knew that happened because just _everything_ screwed with him. And... well, what _else_ could he do?"

S: "...Least _you're_ understanding about it."

A: "Mhm. I doubt _she_ would."

_Synchro_ **(Page 343)**

R: "Well, I suppose that is _a_ way of getting out of that."

S: "It'd probably _still_ get my head kicked off."

A: "Depends what that _blush_ means."

E: "You don't _look_ too amused with what he did."

A: "Am I _ever_ amused with him, in that work?"

K: "Maybe _that_ is the confession."

S: "Or I just said that for the sake of saying it." He shrugged. "She _was_ gonna kill me, after all."

M: "She was g-going to kill you _regardless_."

... **(344)**

The lot couldn't help but laugh at what was going on. "Ah _that's_ what you two we're doing."

A: "Evangelion _roleplay_!"

R: "It is _working,_ at the very least." With a small smile. "He is cheering you up."

K: "And distracting _himself_ from what he did, as well."

S: " _I_ certainly don't want to think about _that_."

M: "But... it's _m-moments_ like these. They're the ones that _really_ p-push people together."

E: "It's one of the few times she's let her guard down, that's for sure."

A: "And all because Shinji isn't _scared_ of me anymore."

R: "I do not think he _was_. He is just getting more _comfortable_ with you, as anyone would."

E: "They already _laid_."

R: "You cannot deny such thing is a good _indicator_ they are comfortable with one another, at least."

... **(345)**

M: "Well _that_ p-puts the previous sex scene into question."

A: " _I_ can't really complain about _that_ , though. Just look at how _we're_ like."

K: "Perhaps _that's_ Pengel's reason for his general aversion to fanservice."

E: "One of the _few_ people averse to that, it seems."

S: "I think the _only_ thing we've been involved in that's had anything _explicit_ was _Kimigabuchi's_ work."

A: "We did it in _Wolk's_ work, but I remember him being rather _tasteful_ about it. And _Bond_ waited till _after_ a timeskip before even _implying_ such thing."

R: "And of course, we were too busy _suffering_ in the Laserdiscs and the Theatrical to engage in any pleasures of the flesh."

K: "Asuka is right, though. You _are_ still rather young."

A: "And prone to those _actions_ of mine. But hey, I think getting older has helped _me_ a bit."

E: "Thus it'll help _her_ , in tow."

A: "Heh. Guess I shouldn't be _surprised_ if it takes that long for me to _level out_ , a bit."

M: "Guess it g-goes to show not _everyone_ has such an... _explosive_ get t-together."

K: "Even between similar universes, it seems."

... **(346)**

E: "I question what _this_ is."

R: "With that line of speaking, I would say something _reasonably_ innocent."

K: "The last panel backs up that line of thinking, at least." He chuckled.

A: "Suppose that title's _accurate_ , then."

M: "As we said, s-slow work."

S: "But... we _are_ getting there, at least."

A: "And that's definitely more than where we were _last_ time, eh?"

**(Page 347)**

"Now _that's_ a nice image of us, Shin-chan!"

"You're not trying to kill him or _anything_!"

Snickering at Eliza's remark. "Once more, harkening back to the title."

"You two _are_ getting closer. Slowly, yes, but then again _most_ of the world moves slowly."

"As long as t-their relationship isn't moving in terms of _g-geological_ timescales."

"In comparison to _our_ relationship, it sure _seems_ like that!" Exclaimed Asuka, before shrugging. "But yeah, it could be a _lot_ worse."

"Considering what the _last_ doujin had in store for us."

"If it weren't for that damn _ending_ where they somehow fixed _everything_ , I'd have ranked that doujin lower than the damn _Theatrical._ "

"Where would _this_ happen to go, then?"

Asuka thought. "In order from _least_ fucking us to _most_ fucking us: Wolk, Pengel, Bond, Kimigabuchi, Laserdisc, Theatrical. Of course, there's a bit of leeway with all that; might swap Pengel and Wolk if we get through it _without_ suffering because while Wolk _did_ give us a pretty good life, he _did_ still fuck with us some."

"I'm sure _they_ w-would understand your reasonings, if they existed here." Wry. "At least I m-might be able to _catch up_ on t-that work."

"Unless Pen-Pen decides to hit you with that _encyclopaedia_." Shinji was _also_ wry.

~~~

** 2.33: Moon Song **

_Camping_ **(Page 348)**

K: "Oh a bit of camping isn't _that_ bad."

E: "And Shinji's right about _that_ much."

A: "Yeah, but you know how I'm like by _now_." With a huff. " _I_ certainly don't think camping's all that bad."

R: "Fresh air, pleasant and quiet surroundings."

S: "Plenty of exercise."

M: "The tent w-would be pretty cozy, as well."

A: "Heh, that's _certainly_ why I wouldn't mind camping." With a giggle. "Gotta occupy the time _somehow_."

E: "You could _fish_."

R: "We would not be the _only_ ones to do such thing while camping, Eliza." With a small smirk. "Kyoko can be _very_ candid with what she, Sayaka and Kensuke get up to."

E: "I don't need to know _more_ about that, sis."

... **(349)**

R: "Knowledge is never a _bad_ thing, as the saying goes."

E: "Best to _always_ be prepared."

S: "Certainly helped _us_ , didn't it?"

A: "And there we have _Maya_ helping me again." She prodded. "Mama looks even _more_ like Maya in that panel!"

E: "I kinda wonder what _Ma_ would think of this."

K: "Bemusement, I'm sure. Needless to say, however, she will react to _this_ Rift material better than she would to _Elfen Lied_."

M: "Considering _we_ d-didn't react well to that damn s-show."

A: "At least I'm _still_ a genius." She smirked. "Probably applied somewhere _else_ other than computers, though."

S: "Computers don't seem that _important_ in an apocalypse scenario. There's a lot more _other_ things you could spend electricity on."

E: "Gee, thanks."

... **(350)**

A: "She also taught me to _drink_." Wry.

K: "An important experience for anyone." He too was wry.

R: "I suppose it _does_ explain where you get those words from."

A: "Heh, _someone_ had to teach me. As I said."

M: "Is _that_ w-what that German means."

Asuka nodded. _"Die person entwickelt die existenz, indem sie lernt_. 'Learning develops the person', more or less."

E: "Essentially what Shinji said, only in your mother tongue."

A: "Yeah pretty much."

S: "A part of me feels _Misato_ might not've been the _best_ influence on us."

A: "I mean, we didn't end up _dead._ In most worlds."

R: "Not even _most_ worlds, if we are counting _multiple_ deaths."

A: "Ehh not everyone's perfect, Rei."

... **(351)**

E: "So you're only waiting until _now_ to teach him German?"

A: "I know _here_ , I've been rather _proactive_ with that."

S: "And look at me now, I can actually _read_ some of the words!"

A: "It's a start from where you _were_." As she messed his hair. "A good thing _I_ don't charge as much."

R: "He _already_ gives you his undying loyalty, so what else _could_ he give?"

M: "A g-good time, I'm sure."

A barked laugh. "He does _that_ , as well."

K: "Though I wonder where this _English_ will tie in."

S: "I don't think I'd know much _English_ , as well."

A: "I wonder what song I _would_ sing, then."

M: "Maybe that _English_ s-song she sang before."

A: "Heh, you reckon? I suppose if the _moon's_ out."

_Gold Moon_ **(Page 352)**

A: "Oh yeah, it's totally _Fly me to the moon_."

M: "Is that the _o-only_ English song you know?"

K: "Maybe the only one _Pengel_ knows."

E: "And what do you know, it was the _end credits_ song to the Laserdiscs."

R: "Or maybe he is just a fan of Sinatra, as Mari suggested."

K: "He _did_ have a pretty good voice."

S: "Maybe I should _try_ playing one of his songs, next time I get a hand on my cello."

... **(353)**

M: "Now the q-question is, do you _understand_ enough English to get w-what she's trying to tell you?"

S: "Considering _I_ don't know that much English."

A: "Maybe I should've _taught_ you, Shin-chan."

E: "I imagine spring on those planets would be rather _deadly_."

S: "If Jupiter can even _have_ spring. I know _Mars_ is close enough to Earth to have seasons like that."

R: "Well, it _was_."

K: "The Jovian axial tilt is only around three degrees. So while it _does_ have seasons, it can be difficult to differentiate them from one another."

A: "And I'm sure _suffocating_ in whatever hell the Jovian atmosphere is would kinda _detract_ from the experience."

R: "At the very least, _I_ have been flown to the moon."

M: "You _what_?"

E: "That was one of _my_ first deployments." She reminisced. "Not that I had _many_ deployments before becoming myself."

S: "We had to recover some hardware."

A: " _That's_ certainly understating it. Strapping an untested Evangelion to untested space ready hardware, strapping all _that_ to an untested rocket that was literally the _only_ rocket in existence to carry that, and sending that all _to the moon_!" An exasperated sigh. "And then the rocket fucking _landed itself_!"

Mari seemed to perk when she heard about the rocket. "It _l-landed_?"

A: "Pretty unbelievable, eh?"

M: "...Yeah."

... **(354)**

A: "Oh surely you know the English for _that_."

S: "Or I'm not understanding it like _that_."

R: "We _have_ established Shinji is like that."

S: "Even _here_ I was like that. Considering it took up to that _kiss_ of ours for me to understand."

E: "You two have _fucked_ and you're _still_ dancing around each other."

K: "Either way, we know you two _do_ love one another. Even if you still dance around one another, it's a rather _magnificent_ dance otherwise."

A: "We got _that_ going for us, at least."

M: "It's a pretty _g-good_ thing going for you guys, I'd think."

... **(355)**

S: "And the answer is _no_."

A: "Maybe I should've asked that _before_ I sung you a _love song_."

M: "Or just sing a s-song in his language."

R: "Ah but _that_ would have been _too_ obvious for a tsundere like her."

E: "Surely you _knew_ he did _not_ understand English."

K: "Not like we can _know_ it was deliberate."

A: "I mean, _I_ know Shinji didn't know any other language other than Japanese. So I _taught_ him. Simple enough."

S: "Just another example on how _little_ I was actually given by NERV." He muttered. "Since it sounds like just about every _other_ pilot was multilingual."

K: "We can blame your _father_ for that, I suppose."

... **(356)**

S: "Yeah I know."

R: "It is not even _density_ , at this point. It is simple lack of knowledge."

E: "At least Asuka is willing to teach you _a_ language."

M: "German. W-wouldn't have done _shit_ for Shinji."

A: "I _have_ expressed my willingness to teach him _English_ , haven't I? My own biases aside."

K: "Furthering your ability to communicate is _never_ a bad thing. And many people _appreciate_ being able to communicate in their native tongue."

A: "Why do you think I _like_ talking with you lot in German?"

**(Page 357)**

"See, maybe if I sung something like _that_ , you might've actually got the _message_ , Shin-chan!"

"Are y-you heading to the _races_ or something, Asuka?"

A small giggle. "Sure _looks_ like it, eh? Wearing a damn _hat_ like that."

"Looks rather _stunning_ , if I say so myself."

"I could wear a t-shirt and half ripped pants and you'd still call me stunning, Shin-chan." With a small smirk.

"That's not a _complaint_ , I'm sure."

"Oh _God_ no."

"I do not think I have even _considered_ you wearing such a hat, Asuka."

"Then again, I don't recall ever going to the _races_. Though I suppose it wouldn't be _too_ difficult, with the right word."

"Sounds like we can add _that_ to our schedule, eh?"

~~~

** 2.34: Oneshots 3 **

_Bubble Wrap_ **(Page 358)**

Laughter. "Gee, thanks Asuka."

E: "Perhaps you need to learn to _occupy yourself_ , like Shinji was doing."

M: "I'm surprised y-you even _found_ bubble wrap."

R: "I would think such thing was _rare_ , nowadays. Especially in _intact_ form."

A: "Yeah yeah. Though think of it like two different thought processes. Do you wanna pop the bubbles _individually_ or _all at once_?"

K: "We know _your_ line of thinking when it comes to that."

A: "And I'm like that _here_ as well." With a small chuckle. "Only I'll get _my own_ sheet of bubble wrap."

M: "I'm sure _Shinji_ w-will be very happy with that."

_Moushou Doushou_ **(Page 359)**

M: "Yeah _I_ d-don't get that."

Shinji slightly chuckled. "It's a pretty good pun, if I say so myself."

E: "Not just because it comes from _you_ , right?"

A: "I'm kinda _surprised_ I got that, myself."

K: "Wordplay is a grand thing, is it not?"

R: "I am sure _Asuka_ would _not_ say such thing, for fear of actually looking like she _loves_ Shinji."

A: "I mean, I _did_ like it. My complaint was that it didn't exactly _cool_ me."

E: "Wasn't it _raining_ just one page ago?"

M: "And I t-thought it was still winter. Unless this is j-just _another_ example of it not being linear."

S: "It probably _is_ that, I imagine."

_Asuka-sama_ **(Page 360)**

S: "Gee, thanks."

Asuka rolled her eyes. " _I'd_ put you on a higher pedestal than that."

S: "I know _you_ would."

M: "So _that_ Asuka h-has a God complex."

A: "Might've had one _here_ when I was younger, as well." She shrugged. " _That_ obviously tempered out, though. Now the only Gods here are _you two_."

Kaworu chuckled at the flattery. "Even with our ability, we are still _mortal_."

A: "Less so than _us_ , at least. Which is _good enough_ for me."

E: "As Bond had shown, even _Gods_ may die."

R: "Of course, this will not even be a _thing_ , if Asuka is not willing to actually _repopulate_."

A: "Yeah I don't know _why_ I'm like that _and_ not willing to do that with Shinji."

K: "Maybe you expect _Kaji_ to return from the grave."

A: "Knowing _her_ it wouldn't surprise me." A slight cringe in disgust.

_Chilling Effect_ **(Page 361)**

R: "You are welcome, Shinji."

A: "He _needs_ a guardian angel like you, Rei. With _me_ like that." A huff.

E: "Makes you wonder why you didn't interfere _before_ , sis."

M: "Perhaps b-because this is a bit _out_ of the r-regular plotline."

S: "And I'm sure you could've protected me _without_ dying, Rei."

K: "You could probably protect him _better_ without being dead."

R: "Indeed. But I _still_ have that responsibility of tending to the Instrumentality. Much like a shepherd tends to their flock."

A: "I'm sure you could let _Kaworu_ manage a few things while you go out for a day."

R: "I do not think it _works_ like that."

_Memory_ **(Page 362)**

A: "Pfft, _that's_ a bit of a questionable thing to do, Shinji."

S: "Wouldn't be the _first_ questionable thing I've done."

E: "A part of me even _doubts_ you lost your memory, with that reaction."

M: "Probably a _test_. That S-Shinji got an _F_ in."

R: "And I am sure if you _were_ his wife, you would have a _ring_."

K: "I doubt _that_ Asuka is the _marrying_ type, myself."

A: " _I_ thought that of myself as well, at least _before_ I met Shinji." She smirked. "I'm sure _one day_ I'll come around to it."

E: "Depends how many pages we have left."

_Miss Robot_ **(Page 363)**

A: "Oh as if I wasn't a doll _before_!"

M: "Your robot self _s-still_ has the personality of yourself, though."

R: "Being imaged from _her_ , it makes sense."

K: "Maybe if it was imaged from _you_ , Asuka."

A: "I don't even know _why_ you'd get a robot like that. Even if it was to hold my _brain_ in after an unfortunate accident, NERV can just make a _regular_ body."

S: "Probably _fanservice_."

A: "Oh yeah I imagine there's _plenty_ of people out there that'd buy a damn _robot_ of me. And I hope to God that _same_ robot rips their heads off because that's _exactly_ how I'd react to that."

E: "Robots can't get hungry, right?"

M: "Maybe they e-eat _oil_."

A: "Or booze."

M: "Heh, like _F-Futurama_?"

A: "Yeah _exactly_ like Futurama!"

R: "I imagine there would be a lot of _moving parts_ on a robot. One would _not_ want to get anything _jammed_ in there."

A barked laugh as Asuka picked up on the context. "Though I guess _that_ works as well, if robo-me wanted _revenge_ on whoever got her."

~~~

** 2.35: Lets Meet Within A Dream **

_Nightmare_ **(Page 364)**

E: "I'm _assuming_ this is a dream of some sort?"

A: "More like a _nightmare_."

R: "I doubt Pengel would put you in such a situation _without_ it being a nightmare of some sort."

A: "Unless they suddenly decided to pull the rug out from us and _ruin_ everything."

... **(365)**

M: " _I'd_ certainly c-call that a nightmare."

K: "One based on a _fear_ of yours. The fear of being _alone_."

A: "Even though I wouldn't show that to _Shinji_."

S: "I think I know that, anyway."

A: "Heh, wouldn't surprise me. And it wouldn't surprise me if you got me _out_ of this nightmare, as well."

E: "And then you _immediately_ start berating him for taking you out of a _pleasant dream_."

A: "That wouldn't even fucking _surprise_ me at this point, Eliza."

... **(366)**

R: "Essentially as you were saying."

K: "Almost like Pengel _knew_ we were going to say it."

M: "Wouldn't _t-that_ be strange."

E: "I've heard of stranger things."

A: "Looks like you _are_ coming to save me, Shin-chan! Hopefully I _appreciate_ it, for once."

S: "You don't sound hopeful."

A: "With how she's been _like_ , you can understand _why_ I expect myself to utterly _berate_ you."

... **(367)**

M: "I mean, with a l-landing like _that_ , it _really_ w-wouldn't surprise me if you started yelling at him."

A: "Heh. Even _in_ a nightmare, people don't like being _startled_ out of bed."

R: "Though I am sure you would forgive Shinji for such a slight, if it _did_ help you."

A: "Yeah, _I_ would." Before she sighed. "At least I'm not dreaming _that_ , anymore. Even _if_ I start yelling at you for it, Shinji."

S: "Better than staying in there, I imagine?"

E: "It'd _disprove_ the nightmare, at least. She is _not_ the only one left on the planet, as long as she has _you_."

A: "Even _if_ I'm outwardly hostile to you."

K: "We know well by now that's just how you show your _appreciation_. Which makes those moments where your walls come down even _more_ significant."

A: "Helps they're few and far between, eh?"

_Wake Me Up_ **(Page 368)**

M: "Well _that's_ a bit of a b-boldfaced lie, isn't it?"

A: " _Would_ I admit the truth to Shinji?"

M: "No, p-probably not."

E: "It's as we _assumed_."

R: "We are pretty good at picking up on what tends to happen, if I say so myself."

K: "Of course, it helps _that_ Asuka has developed a _reputation_."

S: "Much to _our_ Asuka's chagrin."

A: "You know it." Muttering. "But I guess I _am_ getting better."

... **(369)**

E: "And whose to say _that_ won't be a boldfaced lie, as well?"

M: "I think that's what Shinji's t-trying to _probe_."

A: "I really _should_ be more honest with you."

K: "If you were, this doujin would've ended several hundred pages ago."

S: "At least you're honest about the _waking up_ part."

R: "You probably _would_ feel like that, waking up from a restless sleep."

A: "Y'know, I think those nightmares about being _alone_ would reduce if she actually did what _I_ do every night."

E: "Hold him close like he were the only thing keeping you above water?"

K: "You could say that was true for _all_ of us."

A: "And it's especially true for _me_. Even if my tsun _prevents_ me from doing that, doesn't make it any _less_ accurate."

... **(370)**

A: "Well ain't _that_ convenient."

K: "Dreams are _often_ fleeting. Unless you make the _effort_ to remember them."

M: "And I doubt y-you'd want to _remember_ a nightmare."

E: "I think the fact you _don't_ remember it means it wasn't _that_ important. I know _I_ get some garbage dreams sometimes."

R: "Only in _your_ case, it probably _is_ actual garbage."

A: "I probably _don't_ consider dreams with Shinji _garbage_ , even if I _say_ it."

S: "Though... once you _forget_ you had the dream, that sorta thing doesn't really _matter_ , does it?"

A: "Yeah, no harm done and all that. Heh, maybe me getting distracted _berating_ you helped."

S: "You're welcome." He flatly replied.

... **(371)**

K: "Ah, so _easy_ to breach the walls nowadays."

A: "That's a _good_ thing!"

R: "I am sure you _are_ okay. It _is_ just a sneeze, after all."

S: "Maybe I was _too_ concerned with that."

A: "Not that I _mind_ the concern."

E: " _She_ would, from the looks of it."

M: "At least o-on the _outside_."

A: "As _befits_ a girl with a severe case of _tsundere_."

... **(372)**

A: "I'm _always_ angry with you, at least on the outside."

R: "It is just how a tsundere shows _love_ , after all."

E: "Would this memory be _influenced_ by Shinji?"

M: "Wasn't he _in_ t-the dream, as well? At least at t-the _end_ of it."

S: "Maybe _that's_ what you're remembering, Asuka. And not the whole _being alone_ bit."

A: "I'd _hope_ so, cause that would've been a pretty _great_ ending. Have you save me then we _do stuff_."

K: "Said stuff that Pengel would _not_ cover."

E: "I'm sure _you guys_ could just do it yourself."

R: "I am sure not while _we_ are around, however."

A: "Depends how we _feel_." With a small smirk.

**(Page 373, 374)**

"Is... _that_ just the Japanese v-version of that _Titanic song_?"

Rei glanced over the lyrics. "Indeed."

"Pengel knows how Titanic _ended_ , right?"

"If Titanic even _exists_ in the world he's from."

"I thought that song was _written_ for Titanic."

"I don't even know what a Titanic _is_."

"Large passenger ship that sunk on its first voyage over a century ago; hit an iceberg and over a thousand people died."

"How macabre." Flat. "At least the _other_ page isn't that."

"Yeah, it's just me in only a _partially_ questionable dress."

"You're not s-showing much _skin_ , at least."

"It's very... _frilly_." Shinji dumbly remarked, for lack of better words.

"Maybe by _dance_ , she means doing a _can-can_." Kaworu wryly remarked.

"It _does_ kinda look like one of those dresses, eh? Maybe a bit on the _short side_ for that, though."

"Well, if the plan was to rile Shinji up, I believe it is _working_."

A small smirk at Rei's remark. "Might have to _consider_ such thing, then."

~~~

** 2.36: A Wonderland In Dreams **

_Lucid_ **(Page 375)**

A: "Didn't take _you_ that long to figure out."

K: "Now that you _know_ you're dreaming, you can _control_ it."

M: "That or j-just _wake up_. I found _that_ w-was what happened to me when I realised I w-was dreaming."

S: "Can't deny it's better than what _Asuka_ was dreaming, at least. Though I wonder _what_ I'd be dreaming about."

E: "You can control your dreams. If you don't get _Asuka_ in there somehow, I'd assume there was something _wrong_ with you."

Asuka chuckled at this remark. "He's already got me in the _real_ world, he doesn't _need_ to dream about me."

R: "And if he _wants_ to?"

A: "Then I'd be really flustered and if _she_ knew he'd willingly dream about her, she'd probably _deck him_."

S: "A small price to pay, I feel."

... **(376)**

M: "Well, it _is_ y-your dream."

A: "Oh yeah she'd _totally_ deck you if she knew she was wearing _that_."

E: "And what of _you_?"

A: "Heh. Might be good _roleplay_ if I can somehow get my hands on a damn _maid gown_."

R: "We know _Kodama_ is unreliable if you intend to keep it _outside_ the earshot of Hikari."

A: "Oh I'd _never_ hear the end of it if she knew I was doing _that_."

K: "I like how even though this is _your_ dream, Shinji, she is _still_ like that."

S: "Maybe I _like_ that wilfulness?"

A: "Ah, so I'm more of a _dominatrix_?"

E: "Just like _normal_ , from the sounds of it."

A: "Oh I'm not _that_ bad with Shinji. At least _normally_."

A flat look from Eliza.

... **(377)**

E: "Though speaking of _that_ , would _that_ count as fanservice?"

K: "While there is a lot more... _coverage_ , I _would_ call that fanservice."

A: "I'm sure _many_ people would like the sight of a _tamed shrew_." Flat.

M: "I wouldn't c-call _that_ tamed."

S: "Not that _I_ would complain."

R: "Did you forget _you_ are the one controlling the dream, Shinji?"

A: "Or maybe I'm just so _overpowering_ , I can even control his _dreams_!"

M: "And yet y-you're _still_ calling him _master_."

A: "Gotta keep up _some_ charade that he's controlling me, eh?"

... **(378)**

A: "Oh that's probably the _least_ perverted thing you could've done with me."

R: "Still a rather _significant_ gesture, at least to _our_ culture."

M: "You guys n-need to clean out your ears? _I_ never h-had to do such thing."

S: "I think it's a _genetic_ thing with us, right?"

K: "From what I know, yes."

E: "What _were_ you expecting, Asuka?"

A: "Probably something _perverted_ , but apparently Pengel is on a fanservice _diet_ or something. It would've been _easy_ for that kinda thing to descend into _debauchery_."

R: "I am sure it would with _you two_."

A: "Heh, you _bet_ it would." She smirked. "At least we know _why_ I started bashing you in your dream, Shinji."

R: "Outside influences _would_ affect your dreams. Especially if it was something _physical_."

S: "Maybe _that's_ why most of my dreams are of you, Asuka."

She couldn't help but blush. "Less or more perverted than your dream _there_?"

S: "Depends."

A: "Heh. Pervert."

**(Page 379, 380)**

"Seems _you_ have those perverted feelings for him, as well."

"Not that I'd _admit_ it." Asuka huffed. "Just look at those dreams where I have a _kid_ with him."

"I'm sure _here_ , it'd be f-fair game."

"At least _in_ the bedroom, if we were playing those games." Another huff.

"Can't deny the _next_ page is tasteful, at least."

"Though _I_ wonder what those bandages are for." Shinji thought.

"Maybe I tripped over or something." She shrugged. "Or it could be _exercise tape_."

"What _would_ you be exercising f-for?"

A smirk from the candle. "Maybe a certain exercise _with_ Shinji."

"An- _oh_."

The smirk only grew.

~~~

** 2.37: From The Dream To Beside You **

_Pale Moon_ **(Page 381)**

S: "...Yet _another_ bad dream?"

A: "I'd _think_ so. You don't generally wake up _crying_ if you had a good dream, Shinji."

R: "A good thing Shinji is right by your side, then."

M: "All ready to _c-curl up_ with."

A: "Depends if her _tsun_ is bad enough."

E: "He isn't _awake_. He wouldn't _know_ you did such thing, therefore your tsun should be satisfied."

A: "But I _want_ him to know." She pouted.

K: "We know _you_ do. Even _she_ does."

R: "It all comes down to that _tsun_ of yours."

A: "As it _always_ has." She sighed. "Can't just confess to him and get _close_ to him, can I."

E: "You two _are_ already close."

A: "...Yeah. But I could at least _treat_ him like we're close."

... **(382)**

K: "So since he is not _awake_ , you feel comfortable _telling_ him."

A: "And _other_ idiocies."

R: "That, or maybe she wants to _remember_ whatever this dream was. And the best way to do such thing would be to _repeat_ what happened. Firm it in the mind."

E: "So she may tell him _later_?"

S: "Or even for _herself_. She doesn't _have_ to tell me all her dreams; it's _her_ mind, after all."

M: "As it is v-vice versa, I'm sure."

A: "Yeah. If I can _tell_ he had a nightmare, I might _prod._ But I don't bug him about whether he was _dreaming_ about me or not."

S: "You never know if I'm dreaming of you in a maid's dress, after all."

A: "Heh, only if _you_ tell me yourself, pervert." She chuckled. "Though who am I kidding, _I_ have dreams like that involving you as well, Shin-chan."

E: "You are _both_ equally perverted." Flat.

A: "We've _always_ been ones for gender equality, Eliza."

... **(383)**

R: "Ah, you went on a _visit_ to the world of Instrumentality."

A: "I doubt there'd be many _attractions_ there."

K: "Depends how many _people_ were there."

M: " _I_ could p-probably occupy myself just _speaking_."

E: "There'd be _plenty_ of interesting people stuck there, I imagine."

S: "Though... we see there's a _catch_ to your words, Asuka."

A: "Well _yeah_. It's just a _dream_ , isn't it? It's not _you_."

K: "Perhaps with him _asleep_ , you'll be comfortable in _saying_ that to him."

... **(384)**

K: "...And indeed you are."

A: "I _do_ love him, don't I?" With a small smile. "Even _if_ my tsun gets in the way."

R: "As long as you _do_ love him, and as long as _he_ loves you in return, nothing else matters."

E: "Especially in _that_ world. There is _nothing_ else that matters."

S: "...And as I said, _I_ know she loves me. Even _with_ the tsun."

M: "All good, then. And I'm sure t-that'll only get _better_."

K: "The fact he is _confirming_ this to herself. Finding refuge in Shinji."

A: "Sounds a lot like _love_ , eh? Even _if_ I'm otherwise hostile to him."

R: "As we said, that is just how you show _love_ in that world."

... **(385)**

K: "I would say it makes such displays of emotion like _this_ even _more_ significant."

A: "...You _do_ have a point. They'd be a lot more _rare_ , eh?"

R: "And thus, more _special._ "

E: "You should remember, they were _not_ on the same level as you two were."

M: "And f-from the sounds of it, they did not have that significant _breakthrough_ y-you two had."

S: "...Gotta _remember_ that, eh Asuka?"

A: "Yeah, I _still_ forget that honestly."

K: "It _would_ be difficult to not have your perceptions coloured by what is the case."

A: "Especially when they look _exactly_ like me." She sighed. "But... it's not so bad, eh Shinji? Could be a _lot_ worse."

S: "It _has_ been a lot worse." Wry.

A: "Heh. Probably shouldn't look a gift Pengel in the mouth."

**(Page 386)**

"Not a bad work in comparison to most, I would think."

"Hell we've _already_ compared this to other works." Asuka huffed. "And it's _true_. This _has_ been better to me."

"You just dislike how _stubborn_ you are."

"More or less, yeah. And how _slowly_ we're taking it."

"It is not even you two are going _slow_. You two have already made love, and we can safely assume you do it more often than what was shown."

"Alright, bad choice of words. It's not we're taking it slow, it's my _treatment_ of Shinji."

"As w-we all said, that's just her... _attitude_ , right?"

"It's not _my_ attitude, though. I was _never_ that bad with others, even with _Shinji_ I was never that bad."

"As we _also_ suggested, perhaps that is just the Asuka of _this_ work. After everything that happened in the Laserdiscs."

"That's what I'm thinking. Cause even my _Laserdisc_ self wasn't like that." A huff. "I swear if _those two_ were in the same situation with Sandalphon as _we_ were, she'd _berate_ Shinji for _saving her life_."

"A good thing you do not have to contend with _Angels_ anymore."

"Well we got _that_ going for us, at least."

~~~

** 2.38: Taking Shelter From The Rain **

_Never Seen The Rain_ **(Page 387)**

M: "I'd say it _was_ a g-good thing you found that train."

A: "What're the chances we can get it _running_?"

E: "Zero."

R: "It would depend on the fuel."

S: "I know the trains _here_ run on electricity, but there's _some_ Diesel engines out there."

E: "So _zero_."

K: "Depending on the _diesel_ remaining."

A: "And there'd be a _lot_ more useful vehicles to use, as well. Trains are lumbering _monoliths_ of weight, and can only stay on special _tracks_. Get a good four-wheel drive and you can go just about _anywhere_."

R: "Though as _shelter,_ a train would be rather adequate. Especially a _passenger_ train."

K: "There would be plenty of _space_ , and I imagine plenty of _resources_ as well."

S: "Depends if it had _food_ on it."

M: "I'm sure it _would've_ , w-why else would there be _tables_ like that?"

... **(388)**

A: "Heh, she was _me_ , she wouldn't have even _bothered_ with the towel."

E: "You wish, eh."

K: "I would _say_ the suggestion of such thing would be more than what you have done with Shinji thus far."

A: "And then you remember we _banged_."

K: "Yeah."

M: "At least you h-had a good sleep. No nightmares or _anything_."

S: "It's rather _obvious_ you're in a good mood, eh?"

R: "Maybe she will put _you_ in a mood, Shinji."

S: "I wish." He chuckled. "I doubt Pengel would _allow_ it, honestly."

A: "It'd honestly _fit_ me if I was fully clothed underneath that."

K: "As _another_ prank on Shinji?"

M: "Or maybe Pengel c-chooses this time to _subvert_ our expectations."

A: "Heh, can't deny it'd be a _spectacular_ way to do so."

... **(389)**

R: "Perhaps you _were_ doing such thing last night, as well."

A: "Well, we had a good bed, did we not?"

E: "So you thought to _break it in_?"

S: "Or just simply _break it_."

A barked laugh. "We're not _that_ bad, Shin-chan!"

Flat stares from just about _everyone_.

M: "Either w-way, I'm sure your _relationship_ is that c-close that you could just be _casually n-nude_."

K: "I'm sure _here_ , they've reached that stage."

A: "Were it not for living with _Misato_ , I probably wouldn't mind." Poking Shinji. "Eh?"

S: " _I_ sure as hell wouldn't complain."

A: "Of _course_ you wouldn't, cause you're a _man_." A wide grin. "But if _Misato_ caught me pacing around the house like _that_ , I'd _never_ hear the end of it."

_Nope_ **(Page 390)**

A: "I knew it!"

K: "You read Pengel like a book, Asuka."

R: "Or like a doujin."

M: "That _is_ a pretty good way of t-tricking someone, I admit."

E: "Something Asuka can _learn_ , I'm sure."

S: "Something _I_ know now, as well."

A: "Yeah I'm sure you'll be asking questions _every time_ I come to you wearing nothing but a towel."

M: "How o-often _would_ that be, anyway?"

A: "If I end up showering _before_ bed, I tend to do that."

R: "Much to _Shinji's_ pleasure, I am sure."

His goofy smile spoke for himself.

A: "Ah, but now I have a way to _subvert that_ , Shin-chan!"

K: "You would have to top _that_ dress, I would think."

... **(391)**

K: "And yet he _still_ finds it in him to _complement_ you."

S: "As I would."

A: "You _bet_ I'm pretty. With or _without_ clothing."

E: "I'm sure in _his_ case, the lack of clothing only _emphasises_ this beauty."

R: "The female figure _is_ rather nice, if I say so myself."

M: "Of course, y-you might be a bit _biased_."

R: "What ever makes you think _that_ , Mari?" She _very obviously_ suggested.

E: "I'm surrounded by perverts." She very _immediately_ muttered.

K: "Now it's a question on how Asuka will _react_ to this complement."

A: "Well I'm obviously _abusing_ him some, so _that's_ obvious."

... **(392)**

A: "Well, it's better than what I was _expecting_."

M: "You didn't completely c-chew him out this time."

R: "A _marked_ improvement."

S: " _I_ still need to work on my _innuendo_ detectors."

A: "Ah you're not _that_ bad. Maybe back _then_ you were, but you certainly _improved_."

E: "Hence the point of that _kiss_ , I'm sure."

K: "When subtlety doesn't work, throw it out the window."

A: "Even my _Kimigabuchi_ self picked up on that. Of course, she _also_ took the _throwing subtlety out the window_ part pretty seriously, as well."

R: "You could _spin_ that to say she was _dedicated_. Not many people confess to their love _completely naked_."

M: "Yeah _that_ isn't r-really _subtle_."

**(Page 393, 394)**

"Even in the _after pages_ , it's raining." Noted Kaworu.

"Not in _that_ page, unless you count Shinji's _brow_ on glancing at my figure."

"Certainly not _much_ , eh?"

"Not that _you'd_ complain."

"I suppose the _words_ make sense."

"A shame I have _neither_ of them. My heart's still mostly _translucent_ to Shinji."

"Though we've s-seen you _are_ playful."

"Okay, so I fulfil _half_ of that. That's... not _too_ bad, I suppose."

"And I am sure that will only _improve_ , as your relationship develops further."

"I'd certainly _hope_ , Rei."

~~~

** 2.39: Preparation In The Rain **

_Nine Months_ **(Page 395)**

A: "Wow it's been that _long_?"

K: "I suspect a _lot_ has happened, without Pengel inclining to inform us."

E: "I find it amazing it only took _that_ long to get to Germany."

S: "Then again, it's not like we were _walking_."

M: "A good car _would_ h-help with cross continent trekking, I'd t-think."

R: "Though in a world like _that_ , time does not matter much. Why do you _need_ to rush?"

A: "I know it's not because of _resources_. Hell, resources hasn't been much of an _issue_ in this."

E: "Or Pengel found such thing a _bore_. Unless _Wolk_ didn't focus on it either."

K: "They made it quite clear they were _skimping_ on resources. Though then again, you _were_ given a pretty great hand in their work."

A: "I know, right? What're the chances we find a farmer's garden with a water tank, a good truck _and_ Goddamn _solar power_?"

M: "Is solar not t-too _common_ in Japan?"

A: "Might be, but I know at least in _Tokyo-3_ , electricity's cheap enough as is that we don't _need_ solar power."

... **(396)**

S: "It's _true_ , at least. I probably would've stayed in Tokyo-3, were it not for _you_."

A: " _I'd_ certainly appreciate that."

R: "And _she_ would too. Internally."

K: "With how close you two have got, maybe even _externally_ , as well."

E: "Companionship is a rather _wonderful_ thing, isn't it."

M: "So say w-we all."

A: "And I _know_ I think that, as well. Despite my attitude."

R: "Perhaps _that_ will mediate your response."

... **(397)**

K: "She _does_ have a point. Once you settle, it will be just like what you had to do in _Wolk's work_."

R: "Indeed. You will have to make do with what is there."

A: "Maybe we'll be _lucky_ enough to have everything served up on a platter again."

S: "Well, there'd be plenty of _knowledge_ there, I imagine."

M: "Would you be a-able to _read_ any of it?"

S: "No, but I'm sure I can _learn_."

E: "Or Asuka could _translate_. If she doesn't _mess_ with you."

A: "I'm sure if it means our _survival_ , I can tone down the horseplay a _bit_. Might even show me just how much I've been taking Shinji for _granted_."

R: "He _has_ done quite a bit for you, I would think."

A: "Yeah, putting up with me being a _big_ one." She huffed. "But... I _do_ appreciate him for that. I know _that_ much."

... **(398)**

A: "Eheh, _still_ thinking about that, Shinji?"

S: "That, or _others_ returning."

E: "Even though it's most likely the _former_ of those thoughts."

R: "Though we _know_ Asuka has thought about that. Even separating yourself from previous chapters, her _expression_ on this page says as much."

M: "I s-suppose settling down would be a _good_ time t-to _start_ with... _repopulating_."

A: "Heh, it _would_. We wouldn't be on the road, we'd have a stable home to raise a kid or _a few dozen_."

K: "Even though accumulating the _resources_ for such thing may be difficult."

A: "As long as we can get some _farming_ underway, we _should_ be alright. And hey, we did pretty good with _Aki_ , if I say so myself."

K: "Indeed." With a chuckle. "I'm sure you two will be _fine_ , if you two decide to go down that path in that work."

A: "Depends whether Pengel _wants_ to."

_Papa_ **(Page 399)**

K: "I suppose _that_ is what he decided." He mused.

A: "Thing is, I don't even know if that's a _prank_ or not."

M: " _Would_ she prank about that?"

A flat look from Asuka. "Either way, _I'm_ not believing it until I actually _see_ I'm pregnant."

S: "Or if it happened like _Wolk's work_."

A: "Well, _yeah._ The test wouldn't lie, I'd think."

E: "If you could _find_ ones in an apocalypse. But it sounds like you could in _that_ work."

R: "Though if you _did_ end up pregnant, it would not be a _surprise_."

A: "Well _yeah_. No contraception in an apocalypse. Rubber's degrade, pills expire as Wolk showed us. Unless you count _pulling out_."

M: "Doesn't that h-have like a _40%_ success r-rate or something stupid?"

A: "Yeah, and it's been like that since the _stone age_. You'd be better off sticking with the _other_ hole but _screw that_."

R: "And not in _that_ sense."

... **(400)**

K: " _You_ certainly believe it's genuine, Shinji."

S: "Then again, I've proven myself rather... _naive_?"

A: "Even _with_ my constant trickery. At least _you_ know to take what I say with a pinch of salt."

R: "As do _you_."

M: "She _does_ have a r-reputation for doing that, admittedly."

E: "So it most likely _is_ a trick."

A: "Odds are, she'd try doing something like my _Wolk self_ tried. Try keeping it hidden."

R: "Even though you can not _really_ keep a pregnancy hidden."

K: "At least after a period of time."

A: "Yeah I'm sure the _giant belly_ would clue Shinji into something."

M: "Or the _sudden c-childbirth_ 39 weeks later, if he _didn't_ clue i-into everything before that."

S: "I'm not _that_ naive, I think."

... **(401)**

A: "Knew it." Flat. "Where's my 1000 Yen."

R: "You did not bet on it."

A: "Damn it I _should've_."

S: "I don't think I even _have_ Yen on me. It'd all be _Euro_."

K: "I suppose that skepticism was _right_."

M: "You took it r-rather _well_ , for what it's worth S-Shinji."

S: "As I tend to do, in that work."

A: "Even though _here_ , I know when you get _pushed_ too far."

R: "Much like _anyone_. Even Wolk showed this, _more_ than once in fact."

E: "A good thing _I_ have never faced the wrath of Shinji Ikari."

A: "You would've had to _really_ screw up to face his wrath, mind you. So maybe _that_ Shinji is a lot more _zen_ than usual, cause _I've_ really screwed up a _lot_ so far."

S: "You haven't done anything _that_ bad, really."

A flat stare from Asuka.

~

**STOP 402, 403**

"I suppose _that_ line is accurate, at least."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't call _myself_ a good daughter." She huffed, stretching her arms. "Well, I imagine we could _all_ use a bit of a break."

"I'm willing if you are." Shrugged Kaworu, returning to the dry cereal that he had left for hours at this point. "So any agenda for today?"

Shrugging all around. "Loiter around, might get food. Iunno."

"Sounds good to m-me." As she continued eating.

"Good to see he is a _good influence_ on you, Mari."

"When in R-Rome."

"...Hey, do you think we should check in on _Carmen_ , as well?" The computer suggested. "I could _tell_ she had a rough time yesterday."

"Heh, show us we _care_ about her almost getting blown up." As she got out her phone. "I'll go do that, you guys can go get ready."

* * *

## 3\. Impulse

"How goes the audit of the Portals, Kensuke?"

"So far, I've picked up on a few files of note." As he pointed to them on his terminal. "A lot of it is SSTV and morse code, as you'd expect. I'll start decoding them once I have them all, but trawling through unknown filetypes is kinda _difficult_."

"The Gods certainly don't make it _easy_ for us, that's for sure." Mused Maya, from behind her own terminal.

"It's a _start_ , at least." The Sempai huffed. "Anything else of note?"

"I found where _Exile Vilify_ is meant to be played. And yes it _is_ as depressing as it sounds." From his pocket, he took out a digital cassette. "I'm guessing you don't want to go through the console to get to it, so I recorded it."

"...There's a _console_?"

"Yeah, snooping through the _settings_ , apparently you can just press the _tilde key_ and it just allows you to do... well, just about _anything_." With an amused chickle. "Deep configuration, jumping wherever the hell we want to. Hell I even found some _cheats_ for it. The _original_ Portal has damn _guns_ you can use!"

"Good to see you were _amusing_ yourself on company time." Wryly remarked Ritsuko.

"Why the hell would they even _implement_ guns in a game like _Portal_? What can you do, shoot the _turrets_?"

"That's what _I_ did."

Maya pouted. "That was meant to be _rhetorical_!"

"Oh but it's not just guns. You wanna know what _else_ I found?" He spoke in a giddy tone. "Two words: _Gravity Gun._ Holy _shit_ if _anything_ could top the awesomeness of the _portal gun_ it's _that_ thing."

The blonde furrowed her brow. "Now where have we seen _that_ before, Maya."

"Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulation, Kensuke?" Maya queried in turn.

"Yeah. What, is that a _thing_ here? _Please_ let that be a thing here."

"We're... let's just say we're looking into whether it's _possible_." With a smirk. "Though it seems _you_ got a small taste of what a theoretical device should do."

"Which leads into a _theory_ I have about Portal. When you put in the _weapon_ code, you get a proper _HUD_ as well. And with the _lambda_ being the logo of the executable instead of whatever a _proper_ Portal icon would look like, methinks Valve got a bit _lazy_ with creating the game, and they just built it on what _was_ the _second_ Half Life. Which _we_ don't have, but through _this_ game we can get some _glimpses_."

The two others seemed to take this in. "It'd explain why the game was _short_. Maybe they made it to fill out a holiday collection or something." Maya shrugged.

"Oh they just made a video game _masterpiece_ as a _stocking stuffer_." Muttered Ritsuko. "So what glimpses _were_ you able to get? With Zero Two and Hiro playing the _first_ one, and now _this_ , I think the Gods are trying to _suggest_ something."

"One of the weapons mentioned something called _Overwatch_ , so that's probably a security force or something like that." Shrugging. "I _tried_ looking through the NPCs but what _were_ they had some pretty busted AI so they didn't help much. Though I'm sure if the Gods would _like_ us to play through it, I'd be _more_ than happy to do so."

Dead silence for a few seconds.

"Yeah, I don't think it works like that, Ken."

"Damn it." Muttering. "Oh well, I'll get back to auditing."

"Try not to get _too_ distracted by the video game, Kensuke."

"I can certainly _try_ , Subcommander!" He half joked, before leaving the room.

"That _is_ pretty much what we're trying to figure out, Sempai! With that _Kleinium_."

"Well if Ken wants a _Gravity Gun_ anytime soon, he'll have to wait. Magi's been stalled on that for _days_ now."

"Almost like trying to analyse an _undiscovered element_ takes time."

"Yeah, go figure."

The Sempai grabbed the tape and looked around for the tape deck. "Now let's see what _th-_ "

She _was_ going to play the tape and see what Exile Vilify sounded like, only she was interrupted by a shrill sound.

Maya soon confirmed the source. "Ph... _Fax_ from... uhh Sempai? What country code is +61?"

"...61?" She repeated, exasperated. "We're _81_ , China's 86, Germany's 49, America's _1_ , of course... Six should put that number in _south east Asia_ but what country down there would have business with NERV..."

"...Would _Australia_ count as south east Asia?"

"For the _phones_ it would." She thought. "Okay, if this call _is_ from Australia, and the fact they _know_ the fax numbers for us, I think it's serious enough for us to consider."

Maya shrugged, confirming the call. "You're the Sempai, Sempai. Magi's receiving it now, transmissions will be onscreen."

The first transmission was of a letter, clearly printed on a dot matrix printer. "'Forgive the imposition, you need to know...'" Taking in the letter, she hummed in slight curiosity. "Of _course_ Makinami knows the fax lines."

"That just raises _more_ questions! Why is he in _Australia_ of all places?!"

"He's trying to find out more about... the _Voyager_ probe that fell through a Dirac Rift into Antarctica. He recovered data off the tape recorder which includes _images within the Dirac_ , and he's sending low resolution copies over fax in lieu of proper images, once he gets somewhere with high speed internet."

Maya's eye twitched. "My point still stands!"

"I don't think we should _question_ it, Maya." As she took a flat look to the screen. "Images are up."

With the even _lower_ resolution than what would be expected, it took to the fifth image before they were able to discern _something_ was out there. Which was good, because that was the _last_ image in the imageset. "...What _is_ that, Sempai?"

"Five dots in whitespace." An idle remark. "But consider, if this is the _Dirac_ , there should be _only_ whitespace."

A brief silence, as Maya thought about that.

"Something to keep eyes on."

"Indeed." As she went for her smokes. "Just about _all_ we can do."

"...It's kinda annoying how we can't really be _proactive_ about this kind of thing."

"Thing is, Maya. This _is_ us being proactive." Taking a drag, that didn't relieve any of her tensions. "We know there's _something_ in the Dirac. It's more than we knew a few minutes ago. And if we know there are _entities_ in the Dirac, we can _prepare_ for such thing."

She sighed. "Best case scenario, it's just debris from Nevada or maybe parts of Mars that were destroyed. Though... we'd be remiss if we didn't prepare for the _worst case_."

The air grew heavy around them.

"You really think it could be an _enemy_? Seele or VIRM or..."

"It wouldn't surprise me."

Another heavy silence.

"What... will we tell the UN?"

"No use inducing panic in the world, Maya. We'll tell Misato, and we'll quietly prepare. Tests and maintenance and all that. No need to report anything until we have something to report."

She butted out her cigarette. "It's a good thing those kids went on vacation _now_. Might be a good while before they get _another_ one."

* * *


	5. After 05

* * *

## 1\. Sample

Carmen was busy doing nothing much, if she was being honest. The sun had risen a few hours ago, at this point, but bed was _still_ holding her down.

Or maybe that was her paramour.

Either way... this was one of the few moments where the thoughts _overwhelmed_ her. About her trade in secrets and intelligence. Of course, it wasn't the _first_ time her hair was almost singed in one way or another.

Doesn't make it any less staggering when it happens, though. At least Randy understood. "...Hey, bist du wach?"

("...Hey, you up?")

No reply, other than steady breathing.

"...Na ja, wenn ich schon mal da bin."

("...Well, while I'm here.") Her hand stretched out, on the bedside table.

With the rather _sizeable_ knife she had just sitting there, she trimmed a few hairs from his head, putting them in the bedside drawer for future use. ""Schicken wollte ich der Blonden jetzt auch nicht einfach ein Fläschchen mit seinem-"

("I wasn't just gonna send that blonde a vial of his-")

Her phone buzzed, her instincts resulting in the knife being embedded into a nearby wall, covered in many suggestions that this wasn't the _first_ time the knife ended up there. "Scheisse." She quietly muttered, grabbing the phone and answering it to shut it up.

Before immediately masking herself. "Hallo?" She answered in a faked cheer.

The person on the _other_ end of the line immediately saw through it. _"Woke you up, I'm guessing."_

"...Yeah, Asuka."

_"Heh, I thought_ we _were the ones meant to sleep in."_ She jabbed. _"Though... I suppose you_ do _have a good enough reason for it."_

"Not many people get blown up, Asuka."

_"Eh, you get used to it."_ Audibly shrugging.

"...Right, pilot and that."

_"Still, just thought we should call and show our_ concern _, eh? Dunno_ how _you're handling it and that."_

She felt rather _flustered_ at the concern. "Ahh I'm fine. Just a bit... shut down."

_"That sounds like the_ opposite _of fine."_ Flat. _"Then again,_ we _sometimes do that, as well. If things get a bit too... I guess_ traumatic's _the word to use. Be glad you have someone to rely on, eh?"_

"...I suppose he _is_ lying on me, right now."

_"Now_ that's _the spirit."_ Before giving a sly chuckle. _"I'll leave you two_ alone _then."_

"Yeah yeah... though I appreciate the concern."

_"No biggie."_ Cheery. _"I'm sure we'll be seeing you_ sometime _later."_

"Oh I'm sure I'll sneak up on you two sometime."

_"Heh. Until then."_

The phone clicked off.

Deciding to take Asuka's advice on _relying_ on someone, she settled back into the warmth of her other. "Du schläfst wie ein Stein, weißt du."

("You sleep like a bag of bricks, y'know.")

~

Another few hours of listlessly wandering Berlin ended back where it started, at the townhouse all four/six were staying at. "Y'know, I think we're starting to _run out_ of things to do here."

"It's barely been a _week_ since we've come here."

"I suppose that's just what happens." Audibly shrugged Kaworu. "Remember, Shinji started the vacation making exquisite meals every night."

"Before I couldn't be _bothered_ anymore."

"As we said, it's a vacation for _you_ as well." He smirked.

"Though I suppose we could use _more_ groceries." Rei mused. "Considering we have descended to eating cereal without milk."

"Could be _w-worse_. We could be eating it with _water_."

"Fair point, Mari."

"If only we went _grocery shopping_ in the several hours we were out." Jabbed Asuka.

"I did not bring any bags."

An eye roll. "Oh well, I'm sure _McDonalds_ will suffice until _after_ we've finished witnessing _more_ of my _terminal tsun._ "

"You're not _that_ bad, Asuka." Defended Shinji, as they all sat down at the roundtable once more.

To which she responded with a flat look. "Maybe not as bad as when we _started_ , admittedly."

And so they started once more.

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.40: Remembering The Anger **

_Homecoming_ **(Page 404)**

A: "Good to see _that's_ still the same."

E: "Not much things seem to change from _page to page_."

K: "It's all a more _gradual_ change."

M: "I'm mainly w-wondering why _Asuka_ isn't leading. Since y-you two are going to _Germany_."

A: "Maybe to give _me_ an excuse to bash him a bit more." Muttering.

... **(405)**

R: "Certainly _one_ way of crossing the threshold."

S: "Can't deny it's a _different_ way of crossing the border."

M: "That's a _b-border crossing_?"

E: "It sure _looks_ like a line."

A: "I suppose that means _welcome to Germany_!"

K: "How fitting for _our_ current situation."

R: "Of course, with a few less people."

E: "Bit of an _understatement_."

S: "I'd guess the order of business _now_ would be to try _making_ something of living in Germany, eh?"

A: "Much like we did in _Wolk's work_."

K: "Let's hope Pengel is kind enough to drop what you need on your laps."

... **(406)**

A: "They got the _name_ right, at least."

M: "Wouldn't the name be _G-German_ , though?"

R: "The text _under_ the name is in Ger... hmm."

Upon her noticing of something, everyone looked close at the subtitle to try noticing what she noticed.

S: "Why is _your name_ on it, Kaworu?"

K: "I do not know." With a huff.

E: "Another example of Pengel just finding the _first_ related German he could find?"

A: "Kaworu Nagisa... _ersetzt_?"

K: "The passage _after_ that seems to be a bit more... _obvious_ , as to what it means."

A: "Yeah, but I'm not sure how you _replacing_ me or her links into the fact she _hanged herself_."

M: "She _what_?"

A: "Don't worry, she got better."

M: "...She _w-what_?"

E: "Either way, _those two_ didn't seem to notice such text."

R: "They _do_ have more pressing matters. Finding NERV-Berlin is a priority."

K: "I'm sure NERV-Berlin has _plenty_ of resources for the fledgeling Max Rockatansky."

A: "They might even know why that _sign_ was there."

... **(407)**

M: "You've been _e-everywhere_ , man."

A: "Yeah, we could've just taken a plane like we did _here_."

K: "But then you wouldn't have gotten to see all the _sights_."

E: "What _would_ you see in those countries? I've never even _heard_ of most of them."

M: "I know _K-Kazakhstan_ is where the Soviets threw things into o-orbit."

S: "Would've been a pretty good _sight_ to see, at least."

R: "I am sure even a site as significant as _that_ would have been _less_ important than the task at hand. Which is _still_ not yet complete, as Asuka suggested."

A: "But we're a _helluva_ lot closer, that's for sure."

... **(408)**

A: "And of _course_ it starts raining as soon as I said that."

Snickering. "They can't make it _easy_." Kaworu mediated.

M: "Though now _another_ p-point has been made."

A small huff. "A _lot_ happened in Germany, if we didn't make that clear before. It's only where I lived for _fourteen years_."

R: "And where you have had _many_ of your formative moments."

S: "And now... you're finally _back_."

E: "The country would not be as _she_ knew it. For one, there'd be no _people_. And I'm sure eleven months is _plenty_ of time for decay to _start_ setting in."

K: "It's a rather _complex_ feeling, I imagine. This is essentially a _homecoming_ for Asuka, but her home has changed rather _profoundly_ since she left. Even barring anything _physical_ , the simple lack of _people_ is a massive enough change."

A: "Yeah. There'd be no bustle of the markets or cars on the Autobahn or _anything_ like that. I can _see_ why I'd be having some strange feelings about all that."

_Shelter_ **(Page 409)**

R: "It _has_ been raining a lot, when you think about it."

A: "It raining more than _once_ _a year_ in Japan seems like a freak event." In deadpan.

K: "Perhaps that's why Pengel seems to be _compensating_."

E: "In a way that completely _inconveniences_ you two."

S: "Wouldn't be the _first_ time."

M: "If only y-you were able to find a _car_."

A: "Or maybe a _bus_. Though God knows if we could've _driven_ it."

S: "It's probably just a _bigger car_." He shrugged. "And we drove _cars_ alright. Haven't had any _accidents_."

E: "You'd probably be better off _walking_. There'd be _better_ vehicles to procure; the only advantages a bus has is its _carrying capability_. Which, considering there are only _two people left_ , dampens it a bit."

A: "Might as well just get one of those small _box trucks_ if you need carrying capability."

R: "Or even _less_ than that. You managed fine in _Wolk's work_ with what amounted to a small pickup."

K: "At least this small delay allows for some more _conversation_."

... **(410)**

Asuka couldn't help but sigh at her little self analysis. "That's... pretty accurate, actually."

M: "People treating y-you differently, just because you're a _pilot_."

A: "Mhm, _you'd_ know that, I imagine. Treat you like a pilot _first_ and a person _second_."

M: "...At least I h-had _someone_ else to be my support."

A: "Why do you think I liked _Kaji_ so much? He and even _Misato_ were one of the few people to actually see me for _me_ , instead of just seeing my _pilot_ side."

R: "And that is also why you fell for _Shinji_. He did not see you as a _pilot_ , he saw you for _you_."

A: "Good thing he _did_ , eh?" As she shot a smile in his direction. "But yeah. I _like_ this place, but boy do I have some _terrible_ memories."

K: "Which would colour your _perceptions_ , of course."

S: "Though... you still have _some_ fond memories."

A: "Of _course_. Many of them with my mama. Which would _also_ colour my perceptions some."

R: "As nostalgia is wont to do."

E: "...Guess I should be _glad_ you guys see me as _someone_. And not just a _program_."

A: "I suppose that's _another_ thing you can call us. Proponents of AI rights."

... **(411)**

A: "...Yep, still accurate. Of course, _I_ was much less... _opposed_ to returning to Germany."

K: "It's one thing to vacation in Germany. But would you _stay_?"

A: "Thing is, I don't really _know_. I _have_ had quite a few fond memories in Japan."

R: "Contrasted by the _not so fond_ memories of Germany."

A: "Should be a _shoo-in_ for Japan, eh." She noted in an amused huff. "And yeah, my life in Germany _was_ pretty shitty. But that wasn't the fault of _Germany_ , I feel."

E: "It would be the fault of what _happened_ in Germany."

A: "Yeah. And I'm sure if the same thing happened and the country was _Belgium_ , I'd still feel that way for Belgium." Turning to Kaworu. "What of _you_ , Mari? Do you hold any animosity towards America for what happened?"

M: "All _my_ animosity is a-aimed at _Seele_. Kinda like _you_... a _lot_ of b-bad stuff happened in my country. But that wasn't the _fault_ of t-the country."

S: "...It's probably just _associating_ all those memories with a location."

A: "Yeah. But we _all_ know there isn't just _terrible_ memories. Plus, if I just focused on the _terrible_ memories, I'd be _depressed_ around the damn clock!"

K: "Don't focus on the bad times, but don't _forget_ the bad times."

A: "Exactly that. We know what the _bad_ times are like. That only makes the _good_ times all the better."

R: "And it makes us _prepared_ for any troubles that come our way. Makes us _stronger_."

S: "After _everything_ that happened... it really _would_."

... **(412)**

R: "Understandable. You wish to _move on_ from the past."

A: "There's not really a _point_ in staying in the past. It _can_ be nice to reflect on, but the more time you spend focused on the _past_ , the less focus you have for the _here and now_."

K: "A good attitude to hold, I feel."

M: "Seems _most_ o-of you have that attitude."

S: "When you can _die_ at practically any moment, it's rather... difficult to _not_ do that."

E: "One of the reasons why you two fell so hard and so _quickly_ for one another."

A: "Heh, I suppose that's _a_ reason why I didn't wanna waste time."

R: "Perhaps a reason why your progress in _this_ work is remarkably _casual_ in pace. You _have_ the time, now."

M: "And... it _does_ s-seem like a good idea to find _yourself_ b-before that."

A: "Shinji was one of the reasons _why_ I found myself. Why I'm able to _support_ myself better than back then. Hell, _all_ of you helped with that, one way or another."

K: "So say we all." Acknowledging. "And one could say that of _this_ work, as well. Shinji _has_ helped you, perhaps in a less _overt_ way than in _our_ world but one that is still _there_."

A: "You wouldn't _think_ that with how I _treat_ him, eh?"

... **(413)**

E: "And it seems _you_ helped Shinji in turn."

A: "As _here_. Once again, wouldn't _think_ that with how I treated him."

R: "Akin to a journey to _nirvana_. The journey of _finding_ oneself."

M: "I'm sure a _j-journey_ like that would be a good way of doing that."

K: "People _have_ done such thing. Taking several months, perhaps even _years_ , in order to reseat themselves. To find _happiness_."

R: "The _lengths_ of the journey would always differ, but the intention is the same. They have taken eleven months to get _this_ far in their journey. Yet, is that not the point?"

S: "It's the _journey_ , after all."

R: "Indeed. The destination is not everything. If all you focus on is the end goal, you fail to notice everything else _surrounding_ you. And whether there is something _better_ than the end goal."

A: "Maybe _we_ should've taken eleven months to get here."

E: "Yes, I'm sure NERV would _certainly_ allow for such thing."

Asuka snorted. "At least _they_ don't have to deal with that sorta business anymore."

... **(414)**

S: "Well, at least you _liked_ my speech."

A: "Rest assured I do _not_ see you like a little brother."

E: "It'd raise even _more_ questions."

R: "While the complement _was_ rather backhanded, she _is_ acknowledging it."

A: " _Anything_ I do is backhanded. That's just a part of the tsun _handbook_ at this point."

M: "Didn't y-you two _fuck_ , as well?"

A: "Yeah yeah, roll tide."

K: "Didn't you say you were _not_ doing anything Hapsburg related?"

A: "Not doing a good job at that, eh." Flat. "Then again."

_Lightning_ **(Page 415)**

M: "Ya can't _win_ , c-can ya?"

S: "No, not really."

A: "After _everything_ , a bit of lightning isn't really that _bad_."

R: "Though I am sure it _would_ have been cute if you did that."

E: "And you would've berated Shinji all the same."

K: "Lightning _can_ be rather frightening. It's a good thing you're indoors."

A: "I doubt _our_ AT-Fields could block lightning. _Yours_ , though."

K: "It would depend if I can get it _up_ in time. And given lightning strikes as fast as... well, _lightning_."

R: "The odds of such a thing is low enough to begin with. Perhaps if we spent more time on the _surface_ , it would be more of a risk."

S: "Or if it actually _stormed_ more in Japan."

... **(416)**

K: "And yet _another_ memory I assume _no one_ remembers."

R: "Mostly due to Kirishima as a person not _existing_ in our reality."

A: "At least _our_ _version_ of reality."

M: "Sounds like she was k-kinda _obsessed_ over you."

S: "If she was _anything_ like her Bond counterpart."

A: "And you would've thought having to deal with _one_ turbo tsundere was enough!"

E: "Even _appearance wise_ , she seems completely _different_ to the Mana Kirishima of Bond's work."

R: "Not least because _this_ Kirishima does not _appear_ to be Nephilim."

K: "Then again, such traits are often not picked up on in a black and white medium."

M: "Y-you guys already established _Girlfriend of S-Steel_ doesn't exist, right?"

A: "Yeah, but just from the _title_ I can already tell it's a _dating sim_." She grunted. "Guess she's just _another_ person to pine over Shinji."

S: "I really ought to be used to that, at this point."

... **(417)**

R: "Certainly _appears_ to be jealousy."

A: "At _that_ rate, she was probably _better_ for him."

M: "Well, it _is_ a _d-dating sim_."

S: "Hopefully you weren't _left out_."

E: "Who _would_ Shinji date in a dating sim based on our world? If we're keeping it to just _females_ , there's not _too_ many options."

K: "Even adding _me_ as a partner would only increase it by one."

A: "Well let's see how many girls from school that _Shinji_ knows, because it'll inevitably be set _at_ that damed school. Me, Rei, Hikari, I'll add Kaworu in there as well for variety,"

R: "Tanaka. Or is that _too_ unrealistic?"

A: "Maybe as a _bad end_."

S: "I think I'd rather go at it alone."

M: "You've g-got a few more girls than _that_ , at least _here_."

E: "Gods help me if I ended up something like _that_."

K: "Depends if you go to that high school or not."

A: "Why are dating sims almost _always_ based in a high school of some sort?"

R: "I imagine you _already_ know the answer to that, Asuka."

M: "Can't imagine _all of t-the above_ is a possible option in sims like t-that, eh?"

A: "It'd depend on the _author_ of it. Though if you thought _we_ were a harem then Jesus _Christ_ all that'd be a clusterfuck."

S: "All that would probably _crush_ me to death in the bedroom." Wry.

... **(418)**

M: "Is that what _y-you two_ did, as well?"

A: "Well, _yeah_ , but we're kinda _infatuated_ with each other, eh?"

R: "And I imagine you _would_ remember such thing."

S: "We're _already_ living together, aren't we?"

E: "I imagine the context would've been living together but _away_ from Misato."

K: "Which I'm sure she would _allow_. If you _wanted_ to."

A: "I don't _mind_ living with her, backchat aside. She's pretty fun to be around, and the whole _substitute mother_ business helps as well."

R: "Of course, every bird leaves the nest at some point."

M: "Still, it's k-kinda _hard_ to see _that_ Asuka say stuff like _t-that_."

A: "Rather _sappy_ for her, eh?" With a giggle. "She'd say it in a more _backhanded_ manner, I assure you."

S: "And _you're_ still like that." With a smirk.

A: "Not that _you'd_ complain, Shin-chan."

... **(419)**

S: " _That's_ true, at least."

A: "True for _me_ , as well."

E: "And for _her_ , I assume. Of course, she would _never_ say that."

M: "Unless he could _c-cure_ that excess tsun."

A: "It's what he did _here_. Then again, he's been _trying_ that for over _four hundred_ pages now."

K: "But all your tsun can't change the fact he _loves_ you."

R: "It cannot change the fact _she_ loves him, as well."

A: "I'm sure it'll _eventually_ get through my thick skull."

E: "In a few hundred pages time, I'm sure."

_Proposal_ **(420)**

A: "Yeah I should've _expected_ she'd do that."

R: "You could make a rule of thumb. Anything she suggests, she will do the _opposite_."

M: "You really _d-do_ sound like a couple."

S: "And you wouldn't even be the _first_ person to point that out."

K: "It _is_ rather obvious. No wonder Misato and Toji were able to notice."

R: "At least in _Toji's_ case, that was _after_ they got together but _before_ they went public. At least in the _Laserdiscs_."

E: "Then again, it's hard to _not_ be a couple when they're literally the _only_ pair left on Earth."

A: "Tell that to _me_ , constantly rejecting Shinji."

... **(421)**

R: "We know _that_ is false. You _are_ in love with him."

E: "The whole _sex_ _scene_ wasn't an indicator of that?"

K: "You _do_ generally do that with someone you love."

M: "I suppose love _d-doesn't_ have to be a prerequisite."

A: "You'd need a whole heap of _trust_ for that, though. Which tends to come with _loving_ someone."

S: "I think you calling me a _friend_ is tantamount to that, anyway."

Asuka laughed. "Coming from a _tsundere_ , yeah."

... **(422)**

E: "Speaking of _love_."

K: "And all _contrasted_ by your constant denial, Asuka."

A: "Yeah yeah, I know."

M: "You r-really _won't_ get a better person than Shinji in that w-world, eh?"

A: "It'd be a more _shared_ role in _our_ world."

R: "Mainly because there is more than _two_ people existing on the planet."

S: "I imagine this better man is _Kaji_."

A: "Knowing _her_ it would be." Rolling her eyes.

K: "Then again, you're still _young_."

A: "I was young back when I realised Kaji was _not_ the guy I should be _pining_ for, as well."

... **(423)**

M: "At least it's n-not _raining_ anymore."

A: "Got _that_ going for us, at least."

E: "Perhaps _now_ , you can get started in actually _settling_ in Germany."

K: "Or Pengel could do what Pengel does and show us more amusing stories about your antics."

R: "That may or may not link in to the greater story."

S: "It's gonna be that, isn't it."

A: "Ah well, at least that _conversation_ we had was _somewhat_ productive."

R: "We know you consider him a _friend_ now."

M: "It's further than w-what you _were_ , I suppose."

... **(424)**

S: "Don't think I _expected_ that."

A: "I didn't, either. Though I suppose I _can_ see myself doing that."

R: "Either way, a good memory."

K: "As you suggested, Asuka."

E: "I would _say_ that was rather _significant_ physical contact for you."

M: "But then you remember t-they _screwed_."

A: "We _all_ know sex doesn't hold a _candle_ to a _high five_!"

... **(425)**

E: "Maybe _Shinji_ thinks that."

A: "For someone like me, it _would_ be a pretty good gesture."

R: "It _is_ a show of affection, in a more friendly than a loving manner."

M: "So between _f-friends_ and not lovers?"

R: "Indeed."

K: "Almost like she is trying to _convince_ herself to see him as more of a friend."

A: "See that _might_ work, if not for the fact I'm _obviously infatuated_ with him."

S: "The whole _making love_ part would help as well, I'm sure."

R: "And _your_ complete dedication towards her, Shinji."

A: "It's all about wearing down my walls, eh? _Eventually_ you'll walk around me enough to bring the walls down."

M: "Didn't Joshua have to b-blow a _trumpet_ , as well?"

A: "It wouldn't surprise me if I _already_ blew on a trumpet of sorts."

Mari chuckled. "Not b-bad, Asuka."

A: "I'm pretty _good_ at that sorta thing, if you ask me."

E: "Innuendo or _trumpet blowing_?"

A: "That's for _you_ to figure out." With a sly smirk.

**(Page 426)**

"Keeping that _Israfel training_ in mind, I see."

A chuckle. "As we _would_. Though even _now_ we still go to the _bathroom_ separately. Most times."

"Leaves me to _cook_ , eh?"

"Exactly, Shin-chan!"

"I doubt he'd mind seeing _that_ , though."

"And that's _conservative_ , mind you."

"Sounds like _P-Pengel_ is less lewd than _you are_ on a r-regular basis."

"What an achievement, eh?" She tittered. "Though then again, _most_ of them have been alright with that. Hell, almost _all_ of them, now I think about it."

"Sans _Kimigabuchi_."

" _Obviously_ , Kaworu. Then again, that was practically _porn_."

"Not _complete_ pornography. That is something we have _not_ had as of yet, thankfully."

" _Some_ of you might not mind." Asuka coyly suggested.

"Not including _me_." The computer muttered.

~~~

** 2.41: Oneshots 4 **

_Totally His Fault_ **(Page 427)**

A: "Pfft, yeah that's _exactly_ how I sound like."

M: "So the s-sky is _blue_ because of Shinji."

K: "That's essentially your modus operandi, at this point. Lull Shinji into a false sense of security."

R: "So the eventual payoff is greater."

S: "Why _are_ the postboxes red, anyway?"

E: "I would _think_ it'd be so they were more _visible_. You'd _want_ people to see where to post their letters, and high visibility also helps in having it appear more _prominent_ to a careless driver or pedestrian."

K: "And tall telephone poles exist because it's _problematic_ having said cables hanging low."

M: "Not s-sure about _you_ guys, but most new communication infrastructure in A-America was _underground_."

S: "Most of it is in Tokyo-3 as well."

R: "If you _can_ , it would be better. Underground infrastructure would be more stable than above ground infrastructure."

A: "What about in earthquake prone regions, like _Japan_?"

Rei shrugged. "We have managed thus far."

_A Wish Upon A Star_ **(Page 428)**

M: "At least _you_ w-wished for her happiness, Shinji."

R: "So did she."

A: "Then again, _I_ would've wished for _Shinji's_ happiness."

S: "What if I'm _already_ happy?"

K: "I would think at _this_ point, you were _both_ happy."

E: "Certainly more so than the _Laserdiscs_."

A: "Well I _already_ got my wish then, eh?"

_The Chain Letter Attack_ **(Page 429)**

Asuka couldn't help but giggle. "Well played, Shinji."

R: "Certainly an _interesting_ way of getting around the requirements."

E: "Requirements that are _bullshit_ to begin with."

M: "Is _that_ the c-computer term for it."

K: "The chain letter there was worded somewhat poorly to begin with. Ten _people_ , no stipulation as to whether they should be _unique_ people or not."

S: "Not to mention the _only_ person who could've written that letter was _Asuka_."

A: "Yeah I should've seen that coming. Being one of _two_ people left on the planet."

... **(430)**

M: "You c-could _twist_ that either way, I'd think."

S: "I know _air_ could just mean _nothing_ but what'd the _good_ thing be?"

M: "Well, y-you need air to _live_. Unless you have an S2, but that's an e-exception. So... maybe she's saying she _needs_ you to live."

A: "That's... kinda subtle. And cute, actually."

E: "And in all likelihood _true_. For her and for _you_."

R: "For _both_ of you, actually."

K: "Especially in a situation like you are in, being the only two people left."

S: "...I suppose _that_ could be my direction, then."

A: "Kinda like _here_ , eh? At least _here_ it's rather mutual."

K: "It is _there_ , as well. Just less obvious."

... **(431)**

E: "I bet it's a _false_ confession."

K: "The fact it was in _German_ didn't clue you into that?"

M: "What _does_ the German s-say, anyway?"

A: " _Shinji Ikari ist der_ Hauptcharakter _von Neon Gene-_ that's just an _encyclopaedia entry_ of the Laserdiscs!"

The lot chuckled at the revelation. "Perhaps they took said words from the back of a _German_ release of the Laserdiscs."

S: "That German seems pretty shocking anyway, and that's coming from _me_."

A: "Yeah it's pretty _bad_ , but then again I doubt Pengel has had _any_ experience in any other language other than _Japanese_."

M: "As if that w-wasn't obvious _before_."

... **(432)**

S: "Seems you outsmarted my outsmarting, Asuka."

E: " _That's_ not the translation of the note."

A: "Yeah, but I doubt Pengel even _cared_ about that."

K: "Considering you could _also_ say the previous passage of German we read was from an encyclopaedia of some sort."

M: "All that e-effort just for Shinji to read _that_."

A: "I'm not great, eh?"

R: "Remember, the _opposite_ of what she said is what she feels for you."

A: "As befits a tsundere."

_Horror Story_ **(433)**

R: "An idea for _Halloween_ , perhaps."

A: "Oh you bet, I look kinda _good_ in that."

M: "That bottom panel is k-kinda _cute_ , actually."

A: "It's usually _Shinji_ doing that to me."

E: "In the _bedroom_ , I'm sure."

S: "I've never really _seen_ too much about vampires. Other than old horror movies, I suppose."

K: "It _is_ mostly European folklore."

R: "Though there _is_ something close in Japanese myth. The _Rokurokubi_. Like a vampire they drink the blood of living humans, but differences include a stretchy neck and a detachable head."

M: "That just s-sounds like an _advantage_ over regular old vampires. It'd g-get them _more_ blood, I'd think."

K: "There's a problem with detaching one's head, however. Many of the body's digestive processes are located _below_ the neck."

A: "I don't think mythos _care_ about how realistic they are, Kaworu."

... **(434)**

A: " _Does_ vampirism work like that?"

E: "Either way, it's not different."

K: "The _creation_ of vampires is varied and strange, but being _bitten_ by a vampire has been listed as a method of becoming a vampire."

M: "Like it w-were a _disease_ or something?"

S: "Well, you got a good _drink_ out of it, at least."

R: "That would be the _only_ thing that changed, I suppose. You would be her _blood bag_."

K: "If anything, it'd be _more_ intimacy than what they had."

A: "You know vampires don't really care about the _consent_ of their blood bags, right?"

S: "I know you would if you _were_ a vampire."

E: "Why are we even _talking_ about this?"

M: "Blame P-Pengel."

人 (Hito) **(Page 435)**

K: "Certainly an _analogy_ for the character."

A: "That's _exactly_ how Shinji taught me what it meant."

R: "It _is_ a good analogy for the character. In fact, _most_ of the Kanji can be analogous to what they are representing."

M: " _Some_ of t-the Kanji, coming from an outsider's perspective. _Others_ are a b-bit... strange."

A: "And _English_ is much better? At least Japanese and German has _some_ rules."

E: "You could probably describe this _entire_ doujin with that character. There's _only_ two people."

S: "At least for _now_."

A: "Heh, I'm sure there'll be _more_ of those characters soon enough. Maybe."

_Tanabata Tragedy_ **(Page 436)**

A: "Of _course_ I wish for that."

R: "And there is _another_ product placement."

S: "A product like _that_ would need just about _any_ advertising it can get."

M: "That sounds l-like a pretty cool vacation, at least. Celebrating when _stars_ align."

S: "Oh it's not a _vacation_ day. Actually, when _is_ the next vacation day anyway?"

E: "My calendar says February 11. Since that's a weekend, that makes the next _weekday_ a public holiday."

K: "So _irrelevant_ to us, because we will still be _here_ until Wednesday."

M: "What day's February 11 in J-Japan anyway?"

R: "It celebrates the founding of Japan on February 11, 660 BC."

M: "Seems like a p-pretty _accurate_ date for being _1400 y-years ago_."

S: "Of course, that'd just be how it fits in the _regular_ calendar."

R: "Indeed. Before Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar under Meiji, this was the equivalent to _New Year's Day_. Either way, it is not the festival focused on."

A: "Shinji's _already_ a wonderful man, though."

K: "Wish granted, then." He smirked.

_The Elegance Of Lady Asuka_ **(Page 437)**

S: "That's... quite a _bit_ of jewellery."

A: " _Too much_ , in my opinion."

R: "Not like they would be _worth_ much. Value is what people _see_ it was."

K: "I'm sure _Asuka_ considers them valuable."

E: "Even though in an _apocalypse_ , jewellery would be the _last_ thing to focus on."

M: "Diamonds c-can be pretty _strong_ , at the very least."

A: "Though the thing with not having anyone else, can't be called a _thief_."

K: "Shinji's calling you that now."

R: " _Most_ of what you have done would be thievery, however. What of the _cars_?"

E: "It's probably because of the apparent _value_ of jewellery."

... **(438)**

A: "I mean, you're _right_. Jewellery is pretty much _useless_."

R: " _She_ does not hold the same opinion."

M: "And thing is, S-Shinji is _correct_. Even by _default_."

A: "Gee, thanks."

E: "If she _complemented_ you, _that_ might've happened."

A: "Oh I'm not _violent_. Usually."

A flat stare from Shinji.

A: "Yeah yeah, point taken."

K: "I suppose that jewellery could double up as _knuckle dusters_."

S: "They're not _completely_ useless, then."

A: "The _only_ person I could use them on was _you_!"

R: "And look at how _effective_ they were." She poked.

~~~

** 2.42: A Day Where The Sun Shines And The Wind Blows **

_Final Destination_ **(Page 439)**

E: "The steering wheel's on the correct side for Europe, at least."

A: "Pengel has _that_ going for us. Though why the hell would I drive a damn _Mini_?"

S: "I thought the Mini was _alright_."

A: "The _modern_ Mini is, after it was bought by _BMW_."

R: "I thought you _disliked_ BMW."

M: "She p-probably thinks _any_ German manufacturer is b-better than any _English_ manufacturer. And she's _right_."

Asuka barked a laugh. "Good to hear we have _that_ in common as well! I don't even think England _has_ any English owned car companies anymore; BMW kept Mini, they sold Rover _and_ Land Rover to _Ford_ for some Godforsaken reason."

M: "Wait, _Ford_ own Land Rover?"

A: "You didn't know that?"

M: "I saw t-them all the damn time. One of t-the few non-German or non-American luxury b-brands that actually _sold_ _well_ in America. At least n-not counting _super_ luxury b-brands."

E: "At least you _thought_ Land Rover wasn't American, from the sounds of it."

M: "Yeah. That leaves the Japanese ones... Lexus, I-Infiniti, and Acura. But they're j-just rebrands of Toyota, Nissan and H-Honda anyway."

S: "I heard Misato _complain_ about Lexus, but I've _never_ heard of Infiniti or Acura."

A: "Misato _also_ said Lexus was _not_ Japanese. Which I'm assuming also applies to Infiniti and Acura."

K: "Is the fact you are driving in a Mini making you _nervous_?"

A: "It'd make _me_ nervous." She huffed. "Though I'm sure _she_ has a pretty good reason."

... **(440)**

A: "...Ah. _That's_ why I'm nervous."

R: "And we can make a very good assumption on _who_ you wish to visit."

K: "Perhaps this is _another_ reason why you wanted to visit Germany."

M: "I mean, it _is_ a p-pretty good reason. Even if that g-grave would've been... well, _fake_ , right?"

E: "The same happened with _you_."

Mari nodded. "I _was_ an E-Evangelion pilot, right?'

S: "Only... in _this_ situation."

A: "Yeah. She _would_ be... dead, eh?"

R: "...You _are_ wearing black. Of course, this may allow opportunity to _move on_."

A: "...Yeah. And I _have_ talked about wanting to become my own person. Confronting _that_ would help with that."

... **(441)**

K: "Indeed, it would've been a while."

A: " _That's_ still right. Haven't visited her grave until shortly before I left for Japan."

R: "I suppose such thing is rather _moot_ now."

A: "The grave was always _empty_ , anyway. Now it's just _inaccurate_."

E: "No point in visiting it now, then?"

Asuka shrugged. "Maybe for the _novelty_. My mama's alive and well; maybe I can take a Polaroid of it and show her when we get back."

S: "I wonder how she'd _react_ to that." Shinji thought. "I know _my_ mum thought it _grimly amusing_. Then again, that could just be mum."

M: "I'm sure _m-most_ people would think that of their own tombstone."

R: "Then again, in _Japan_ , a family would often have a _family_ tombstone. Living members would have their names painted with red ink."

M: "I mean, that's j-just _grim_ to think about."

K: "Death often is, and yet it's an ever present aspect of life. As I'm sure we _all_ know."

M: "...God knows _I_ know about that."

_Mama_ **(Page 442)**

R: "A lot has happened since you last visited, has it not?"

A: "Yeah. Not like she's _there_ to tell anymore, but... that'll suffice."

K: "It's the _thought_. And... it helps the _person_ doing it, as well."

E: "That's what Asuka _wants_ , I would think. To put her mind at ease."

M: "S-Sometimes you _need_ a private moment like that."

S: "...Exactly what I'm giving her."

A: "Yeah, cause you _bet_ what she's about to say to her she wouldn't say the same to _you_."

... **(443)**

K: "You realised such thing much _earlier_ in our world."

A: "And I didn't die _ten minutes afterward_ , as well."

R: "Then again, it was never something you were _meant_ to find out."

E: "They sure as hell wouldn't have _told_ you."

M: "They n-never told _me_ , even t-though I kinda _knew_. It sure _f-felt_ right."

S: "Did... you ever figure that out for sure, Mari?"

Mari ruefully shook her head. "Not... until I was a-already lost. It was certainly a _comfort_ to me, at the very least."

K: "But you knew, she was _always_ there. Protecting you."

M: "...Yeah. At least I was able to figure _that_ out."

... **(444)**

A: "Heh. We got _part_ of a confession, at least."

R: "Conveniently _away_ from Shinji, of course."

S: "Well, _was_ away from you."

E: "I'm sure this attitude will change like a _light_."

K: "Still. We know that attitude is _there_. It may be buried, but it is there."

M: "And c-compared to _earlier_ , I'd say she's showing even _m-more_ of it."

A: "Ah, I _am_ making progress. And all it took was an eleven month journey to Germany. Though then again, I already accepted it'd be _slow_."

R: "And now, we can see the fruits of this labour."

A: "...Well, I'm sure him _interrupting_ me will warrant a reaction."

... **(445)**

S: "...I wonder if I _knew_."

A: "You _might've_ figured, at that point. Though _I'm_ wondering if we're _alike_ , in that regard."

K: "It was _that_ revelation that bound you two together, after all."

R: "That you two are rather alike."

M: "As w-we said. Pilots seem to f-flock together."

E: "With how _different_ your lives are, it's almost a given."

S: "In _our_ case, it was."

A: "Well, if you didn't know _then_ , you sure as hell know _now_ , Shinji."

... **(446)**

K: "Yes I'm sure she'll be _very_ pleased with how you describe him."

R: "Considering how she _shipped_ you two."

A: "I'm sure _she_ of all people can see past my attitude."

S: "Though... I wonder what _I'm_ doing."

M: "Maybe y-you decided to tell her _yourself_. Instead of letting A-Asuka trash your good name."

E: "I'd think she'd take _Asuka's_ word more than Shinji's."

A: "Depends what she thinks of him, consider the fact _Shinji's mum_ told her all about him."

S: "And the fact they _betrothed_ us. More or less."

R: "Of course, _neither_ of you know this."

K: "Just because _they_ don't know it, doesn't reduce the _significance_ of such thing."

_Entrust_ **(Page 447)**

E: "She _already_ did such a thing."

K: "As we have said." Before he chuckled. "Of course, I'm sure we _all_ expected that reaction."

S: "Damned if you do, damned if you _don't_."

M: "I'm sure s-she _will_ appreciate such thing. Then again, I d-don't think there _is_ a wording you could've done that would _prevent_ A-Asuka from doing that."

A: "Knowing _her_. Probably shouldn't have gotten _violent_ with Shinji _in front of my mama's grave_."

R: "Then again, not like there are _others_ witnessing this."

A: " _You're_ probably watching this, Rei."

R: "In all likelihood."

... **(448)**

R: "You _do_ appreciate the gesture."

A: "Of _course_ I would. I _do_ love him, don't I? I'm just a bit more _fiery_."

K: "I'd say this fire was beginning to _quell_ some."

E: "The fact she's actually _acknowledging_ to herself she loves Shinji."

M: "Now she just h-has to acknowledge that to _Shinji_ and they're a-all good."

S: "With how _that_ went, I might've delayed such thing."

A: "Ahh _that_ look I have says otherwise. Even _if_ my words say something else."

R: "We know well by now to take your words to him with a grain of salt."

A: "Though then again, there's _always_ difficulties living with just about _anyone_. Still better than living _alone_ , that's for sure."

... **(449)**

M: "Well, y-you _tried_ to save it."

S: "Don't think there's _any_ saving that could happen."

A: "Maybe I'd hit you _less_ if you played your cards better." With a small titter.

R: "But once again, referring to how you _look_. A smile like that does not _lie_."

E: "And we've established well at this point that _Shinji_ knows you love him. Even if you haven't said it to his face."

K: "It will happen in due time."

A: "Might as well be _inevitable_ at this point, eh?"

R: "You _are_ the only two people left on the planet, after all."

... **(450)**

A: "I got what I wanted out of it, at least."

K: "Closure. Hopefully, it puts your mind at ease."

R: "Now _you_ do not have to worry about such thing."

A: "...Yeah. It was more for _my_ ease of mind than my mama's, eh?"

M: "At least w-with you now in _Germany_ , you c-could visit whenever you wanted."

A: "Conversations with graves are generally one-sided, anyway."

S: "And you'd know it wasn't an _occupied_ grave, anyway."

A: "Yeah. Still, it's the _thought_ of it, eh?"

E: "That's what you _wanted_ from Germany, after all. To settle your mind some, before you settle with _Shinji_."

A: "Heh, _you're_ certainly hopeful about us, Eliza."

**(Page 451)**

"Considering where your lives were _before_ the end of the world."

"It's kinda amazing how our lives actually _improved_ after the world ended."

"Y-You wouldn't _think_ that'd happen."

"Goes to show how _shocking_ they were."

"Still. You do not need _much_." Philosophised Kaworu. "As long as you can survive and thrive, that should be enough."

"And I know all _I_ need is some good company." Chuckled Asuka. "Shinji certainly counts as _that_."

"As your actions together have proven."

"Keeps us _occupied_ , at least."

The candle giggled at the innuendo. "Considering we haven't really _had_ to focus on the whole _survival_ aspect of the end of the world, unlike _Wolk's_ work. And that's _with_ them being generous enough to give us a _springboard_."

"I was g-gonna say, cause if _that's_ what t-the world is like after the end of _everything,_ m-maybe it was a _good_ thing."

"That is our opinion with the _Laserdiscs_ , anyway." Rei added. "With how _shocking_ they were to _all_ of us."

"It were _me_ , I'd probably add a _few_ more people to the end of the world. Certainly _you lot_ , at least."

"That'd certainly be an _interesting_ scenario." As the fish imagined such a concept. "Many hands would make lighter work, of course."

"Especially as you are _Nephilim_."

"Hey d'ya reckon we could tap into that S2 of yours and get _electricity_ out of it?"

"I _already_ served as Rei's battery, so I'm sure that'd be fitting for me." A wry thought.

~~~

** 2.43: Walking **

_Bookish_ **(Page 452)**

A: "Ahh, good ol British engineering."

M: "... _Is_ it a M-Mini? The _mirrors_ look a b-bit off."

R: "That is where Japanese cars often puts the mirrors. In all likelihood, Pengel merely took a Japanese car that _looked_ like a Mini and used it."

A: "What the hell kind of car _were_ we looking at, then?"

K: "One of the myriad _inspired_ by the Mini, perhaps. It _is_ a rather influential car, mind you."

E: "So Pengel couldn't even get the _car_ right?"

S: "Hasn't _most_ of the cars we've seen been Japanese, then? Even _outside_ of Japan?"

A: "We had that _Fiat_ , I suppose." She shrugged. "Eh, I'm gonna keep calling that a Mini."

M: "Just s-so you can bash British engineering some more."

A: "You know me _too well_ , Mari."

... **(453)**

R: "Hopefully the _next_ car you find will be a more _reliable_ one."

A: "Just gotta avoid all the American, British, Korean, Italian, and any _other_ European cars other than a few German brands."

M: "M-Might as well _walk_."

S: "At least we were able to find somewhere to _stay_ for the night."

K: "I wonder what you'd be _writing_ , Shinji."

E: "In all likelihood, it's a diary of some sort."

A: "You can bet if it _is_ a diary, _I'm_ gonna end up reading it. One way or another."

R: "Even if it was not a _diary_ , you are most likely going to end up reading it. Purely because _Shinji_ is writing it."

A: "We know her _too well_ , don't we."

... **(454)**

K: "You might as well _chronicle_ such thing."

R: "Even if no one else will be able to _see_ it, just being able to put those thoughts down to words can often be enough."

S: "Once again, something we did in _Wolk's_ work, as well."

A: "Though that was mainly because you got me up the duff, wasn't it?"

R: "I would _think_ that was a good reason to keep a journal."

M: "Maybe it's j-just in case _aliens_ find it."

E: "Or perhaps, if _that_ Asuka gets _up the duff_ , it'll allow them to retell their story to their offspring."

M: "Is _that_ w-what up the duff means?"

K: "I'm assuming now is the time you start _reading_ said chronicles."

A: "Probably, yeah."

... **(455)**

M: "Heh, you c-certainly got her in a bit of an _awkward_ p-position, Shinji."

A: "And I bet I'll blame _him_ for it."

R: "At the very least, his _hands_ have not landed on your chest."

S: "More than I can say for when I tripped over _you_."

R: "It is a good thing I did not mind such thing."

E: "I bet _she_ would, though."

M: "There's a story there I'm m-missing."

R: "Before Asuka arrived to Tokyo-3, Shinji visited me to hand me an updated ID." An amused huff. "Fresh out of the shower, I caught him wearing the then Commander's glasses; one of the few keepsakes I had. One thing lead to another and before I knew it, we were both on the floor with my underwear scattered all over the floor and his hand on my breast."

Mari couldn't help but snicker. "S-Sorry, I _shouldn't_ laugh at that."

R: "It is an amusing story, is it not?"

S: "Embarrassing, certainly..."

... **(456)**

S: "And _that's_ not helping!"

E: "I suppose you _were_ on top of her before, in a way."

R: "That would explain _her_ deja vu. Though I am sure _Shinji's_ deja vu is as we discussed prior."

A: "Though I wonder if you _did_ expect something like that to happen, chasing me around." Prodding.

M: " _You_ p-probably wouldn't complain about it."

K: "It wouldn't surprise me if that _has_ happened to you two."

A: "Oh it _certainly_ has." With a smirk. "Ah, but _now_ what happens, Shin-chan? You have a _helpless_ girl pinned down like that! What's to stop your from utterly _ravaging_ me?"

S: "The fact you could toss me into a wall at any time."

R: "It _does_ work."

_Indiscretion_ **(Page 457)**

M: "I suppose t-this is just how a tsundere _flirts_."

R: "That is the _greatest_ complement a tsundere can give."

Asuka rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Least we know _why_ you remember."

S: "I'd probably remember _without_ a journal, anyway."

E: "I'm sure you'd _want_ to remember what's coming next."

K: "Ah, _you_ see it too." With a smirk. "With _that_ sort of affection."

A: "And we _already_ banged, anyway. Looks like this is one of the few moments my _walls_ are all down, Shinji."

R: "I imagine _both_ of you will be taking full advantage of that."

E: "That we will _not_ get many details on, thank the Gods."

M: "Much t-to Asuka's chagrin, I'm sure."

... **(458)**

R: "You need to learn that he needs to _breathe_."

A: "I _still_ need to learn that! That's how I fucked it in the _Laserdiscs_!"

S: "At least _this_ time, we got _past_ the lack of breath."

E: "Maybe that was a small _punishment_ for nibbling on her."

K: "Asuka's already stated her policy on _nibbling_."

A: "Heh, _she_ wouldn't hold those same policies."

M: "And all b-because you stole that _book_ of h-his."

S: "I reckon I'll be adding _that_ to the book."

R: "Unless Asuka wanted such thing _off_ the books. You never know when future generations may read them."

A: "See, I'm kinda _mixed_ on that. I _would_ probably wanna write it down, but if anyone _else_ ends up reading it."

K: "Rather a good thing there _is_ no one else. For now."

Asuka snickered. "Yeah, depends how _this_ goes, eh?"

... **(459)**

K: "You certainly _have_ changed."

A: "Yeah, back then I'd _never_ get naked in front of Shinji."

E: "I suppose you _could_ read after such activities."

S: "Gotta do _something_ , I suppose."

R: "Never really _thought_ about reading after such thing. Might have to _try_ it one time."

M: "What _would_ b-be suitable reading?"

R: "The Karma Sutra may be suitable _before_ such activities."

A: "Oh yeah, and get ourselves tied up in a _Gordian knot_ or something stupid like that."

... **(460)**

R: "You would have not shown _that_ sort of affection for him back then, as well."

A: "Suppose we _are_ growing up, some."

K: "The _journey_ would've helped. Such thing _would_ bind you two together more."

E: "Slowing _thawing_ Asuka out, I believe it was put as."

A: "And look at us now, we're actually getting close to being a _couple_!"

M: "I'd say y-you _were_ a couple."

S: "We certainly _act_ like one, that's for sure."

A: "Helps I _said_ as much. Though maybe the _wording_ of it was good enough for my tsundere mind."

E: "Said tsundere isn't as _apparent_ as it usually is."

A: "Oh it's still more than I'd _usually_ be in the bedroom." She chuckled.

... **(461)**

M: "I'm sure o-one of those _what are you s-stupid_ 's is more _affectionate_."

A: "Just like how I _still_ call Shinji an idiot."

S: "Heh, it's all in good fun, eh?"

A: "Exactly! That might as well be my pet name for you at this point."

R: "The best pet names tend to start off like that. See _Wondergirl_ and _Trout_."

K: "Either way, that affection _is_ there."

A: "If it _wasn't_ , then why the hell would be _both_ be wearing absolutely _nothing_?"

E: "Speaking of, that's a _lot_ of skin for _not_ being pornographic."

A: "Rather more _blatant_ than usual, eh? Though I guess that just shows how _close_ we're getting."

R: "You have become _very_ liberal with the fanservice."

Asuka barked a laugh. "Sure _seems_ like that, eh? Maybe it's cause it's Shinji and I, maybe it's cause this kind of nudity is _still_ less blatant than Elfen Lied!"

... **(462)**

A: "Pfft, you bet it'd be _more_ than a slave."

M: "A good _chair,_ I'm s-sure."

The candle burst out laughing at that remark.

R: "Perhaps _that_ is the menial work she suggested."

K: "It's certainly _physical_ work."

S: "Seems I was rather _touched_ by that, eh Asuka?"

A: "As you _would_ be. Getting _that_ much affection outta me."

E: "And even _here_ , what you said would be true."

A: "You _bet_. I'm staying by his side no matter what." With a small smile. "Not even gonna put how many _years_ I wanna spend with him."

R: "Can always say _indefinite_."

A: "Yeah, _that's_ a good number." A glance to Shinji. "Eh?"

Who could only blush.

**(Page 463)**

" _Another_ f-fitting song, I take."

"Indeed."

"At least we look _warm_."

"Heh, haven't had to wear that kinda stuff in _ages_." Asuka reminisced. "Do you even _have_ that sorta clothing at home?"

Shinji shook his head. "Never had to rug up _that_ much."

"With the general _climate_ of Japan, it'd be _rare_ you'd have to wear such thing."

"Maybe if you were going to a more _mountainous_ region. Or even further _north_ from Hakone."

"Might be an issue if we decide to vacation in _Hokkaido_ for the winter."

"Pfft, I'm _already_ convinced NERV aren't gonna give us _another_ vacation until next year."

"It is _February_."

"Yeah, and considering this was our _first_ vacation since... well, _ever_. Mari, did NERV ever give _you_ a sizeable chunk off?"

Mari as Kaworu shook her head.

"See?"

~~~

** 2.44: Sin and Punishment **

_Doe-Eyed_ **(Page 464)**

E: " _She's_ more upset about that than _you_ are."

A: "I reckon _she's_ more of a tsun than the _actual_ version of me."

M: "Yeah I was g-gonna say, this is probably _outside_ the regular plot."

K: "The fact she's _reading_ this very work isn't a clue to that?"

S: "Could've been like _us_."

R: "Only _this_ Asuka would _never_ whip you."

A: "Yeah, he's not _into_ that sorta thing." With a small smirk. "Why _am_ I whipping Shinji for that, anyway? If anything, I should be whipping _Pengel_ for that!"

K: "Good luck _finding_ them, especially as characters _in_ their work."

S: "Maybe it was to calm you down?"

A: "I mean, it probably _would_ be cathartic. But if I needed to release some _tension_ , I can do a _lot_ more than just _whip_ you."

... **(465)**

M: "D'ya want to w-whip Pengel _now_?"

A: "Kinda, yeah." A huff. "Least I _look_ rather nice."

S: "So say we all."

E: "Yes I'm sure you're _very_ happy with this, Shinji." Wry.

A: "I'm sure _Rei_ is, as well." Prodding.

R: "N-no."

E: "Yes."

R: "No."

E: "Yes."

R: "Yes."

E: "Yes."

R: "Damn it."

The group couldn't help but laugh at their interaction. "I don't think that kinda thing works outside _Looney Toons_ , Rei."

K: "It wouldn't help someone like _Eliza_ could easily keep track of such thing."

E: "I _am_ a computer, after all."

... **(466)**

R: "Gainax made a _calendar_ of us?"

A: "They left _me_ out of it?"

E: "I'm almost certain you would _not_ make a calendar like that."

A: "Not unless _only_ Shinji and you guys could get it. I'm sure _Misato_ wouldn't mind being a _pinup girl_ , though."

K: "With how much _fanservice_ tends to be present in most works, you'd _think_ it made the world go round."

M: "Nothing like the f-fine form of someone to inspire you, eh."

A: "And I'm sure _I'm_ that fine form for _you_ , eh Shinji?" As she prodded him with her elbow.

S: "Perhaps."

A: "Heh, pervert."

**(Page 467)**

"Perhaps Pengel had to fill a _quota_."

"What, there was so _few_ fanservice in the past four hundred or so pages that he just put it as a _lump sum_?"

"Even _that_ two pages dedicated to nothing but fanservice cannot hold a candle to the _first episode_ of Elfen Lied."

"Pretty sure the _previous_ doujin had more fanservice, anyway." Shinji recalled.

"Of course _you'd_ remember, Shin-chan."

"Either way, it appears this level of fanservice is the _exception_ , when it comes to Pengel."

"That's p-probably why Asuka seems to _tolerate_ it, at l-least from the _looks_ of it."

"I _am_ taking it rather well, am I? But as I said, it's been somewhat _tasteful_. Excluding _those_ pages, of course. And it's been with _Shinji_ , and at _that_ point it's just _accurate_."

"Good to know."

~~~

** 2.45: To My Beloved **

_Prologue_ **(Page 468)**

A: "Oh all that was just a _prologue_?"

E: "A _four hundred page_ prologue."

S: "We had to start _somewhere_ , I guess."

R: "There _was_ quite a few things to square away, first of all."

M: "I'm s-sure that whole _end of the world_ b-business was a big one."

K: "Or perhaps, this is a prologue in the _metaphorical_ sense. The prologue to your relationship."

A: "I mean, you could _still_ call all this a four hundred page prologue to all _that_."

... **(469)**

R: "And after all that _prologue_ , you two are practically a _couple_."

A: "Took us long enough, eh Shin-chan?"

M: "I w-wonder how _dead_ that arm would be right about n-now."

S: "A bit, I imagine."

A: "Heh, it's _always_ fun trying to get in a good position that's _still_ close."

E: "You two did alright _there_."

K: "I'm sure you'll take this time to give your _appreciation_ towards Asuka, Shinji."

A: "Yeah, _without_ the threat of me throwing you through a window for it."

... **(470)**

E: "Never thought the day would come." She flatlined.

A: "Pfft, _amazing_ isn't it?"

K: "We knew it _would_ happen, of course."

R: "It _was_ inevitable, after all."

S: "It helps we're the _only_ two people left."

M: "No d-distractions, eh?"

K: "And now, you two get to wake up to your new lives. Together."

A: "We were _already_ together, though."

K: "Making it _official_ , then."

... **(471)**

M: "Looks l-like it _is_ pretty dead."

A: "Heh, doubt _I_ particularly cared about that."

S: "Hopefully it was a good _pillow_." He prodded.

A: "That's one of the things you're _good_ at, Shin-chan!"

E: "Shinji has a point with this. This is where you're lives begin again."

R: "You two took a year to find yourselves. And _now_ , hopefully, that will allow you to _live_."

A: "Definitely a _different_ path than we took in _Wolk's_ work, eh?"

K: "And yet, in _both_ of those works, you two ended up together. But even if the _destination_ is the same, the journey is oftentimes _different_."

A: "I mean, as long as we're _together_ , it's not _that_ bad." With a smile. "I guess we just took the _scenic route_ , this time around."

... **(472)**

S: " _I'd_ certainly say that was true."

A: "True for _me_ , as well."

E: "Pengel is _really_ showing off your sleeping self, aren't they."

A: "At least I'm _wearing_ something."

M: "And S-Shinji isn't doing anything _weird_."

K: "I doubt he would anyway."

S: " _Monologging_ to myself might be a bit weird."

A: "Ah _I_ did it all the time in this work, Shin-chan."

R: "Perhaps he got that from _you_."

A: "Wouldn't even _surprise_ me. But I suppose that's just _another_ way we've gotten close together."

K: "As tends to happen when you are with someone for such a time."

... **(473)**

K: "Ah, you're getting some _deja vu_."

S: "Well... you _were_ rather significant to me. Even if we didn't know each other for too long."

R: "Your words apply well to _him_ , though. They might have not lived, had it not been for one another."

M: " _Survived_ , maybe. B-But _living_ is a different thing."

A: "God knows _I_ wouldn't want to be alone in the world. Especially _that_ world."

E: "As all the works have taught me, loneliness _kills_."

K: "You just have to look at the _Laserdiscs_ to realise that. And you two _there_ know this, as well."

A: "And we _were_ from the Laserdiscs, so you can _bet_ we know loneliness kills."

... **(474)**

A: "...Heh, sap."

S: "I try."

M: "Helps she's _a-asleep_. If she was _awake_..."

R: "Shinji would be in pieces on the floor."

E: "Still, from the _sounds_ of it, _everyone_ was able to live because you two met."

K: "Rather fascinating how something so seemingly _minor_ can change the world so much. Like the beats of a butterfly."

A: "Only in _our_ case, we met and _everyone_ lived." A huff. "I'm _still_ kinda amused at how that even _works_."

R: "It is all for want of a nail, I would think. Even the _smallest_ actions can ripple outward."

M: "Which apparently i-includes you saving the world by _hooking u-up_."

E: "And _I_ wouldn't have come about, had that all _not_ happened. So thanks, I guess."

A: "Ah this world ain't so bad. _We_ sure as hell made sure of that!"

_Blush_ **(Page 475)**

Laugher all around, as they made the same discovery _Shinji_ had. "Y'know what, I'm just gonna blame _Mari_ for jinxing it."

M: "Whoops."

R: "You most likely heard _everything_ , Asuka."

S: "Did moving my arm wake you up or something?"

A: "Wouldn't surprise me." As she smirked. "Either way, I imagine _you're_ gonna have a bad time, Shinji."

K: "And what are the _chances_ she will _deny_ all this?"

E: "100%. At least to _Shinji_ ; internal values would differ."

S: "Either way, looks like I'm about to go _flying_."

... **(476)**

S: "Eeyup."

E: "Thing is, _you_ did such thing as well, Asuka."

A: "Wouldn't be the _first_ time I was an utter hypocrite."

M: "Is t-that _another_ tsun thing to do?"

R: "The Asuka in _this_ work is essentially a guide in being tsundere. Deny _all_ affection in a way that makes it obvious you _like_ that affection."

A: "But being tsun is _stupid_ , and that's coming from _me_! All this _posturing_ just gives the wrong idea to someone."

K: "Not unless they read _deeper_. As I'm sure Shinji did _here_."

A: "...I mean, it _was_ mostly that." With a small blush. "Dunno _how_ you ended up liking me with how I treated you, Shinji."

He shrugged. "You know I like your fire."

R: "And I do not recall you ever being as tsun as _that_ Asuka."

A: "Didn't you _deliberately_ volunteer for Sandalphon to get _me_ to do it?"

R: "That was more me reading you like a book."

K: "Either way, Shinji reads _deeper_. He sees past the posturing."

A: "It'd be better if I didn't posture like _that_ , but I guess we can't have _everything_ in life."

... **(477)**

M: "But y-you _do_."

A: "That blush there is _evidence_ of that."

E: "Such thing would apply to _you_ , as well."

A: " _I_ know I practically live for _Shinji_. I got a _few_ more people to live for in _our_ world, but in _that_ world I don't have anything _else_."

K: "And this was known to us even hundreds of pages ago."

R: "With how _fearful_ you were when Shinji got sick."

A: "...At least _here_ , I can spill my heart out to Shinji without my tsun getting in the way."

S: "Maybe now _I've_ spilled my heart out, you'd do the same?"

M: "Or spill a _t-tsun_ version of it."

A: "I think that's _exactly_ what I'm doing right now."

... **(478)**

R: "We know _here_ , that was the case."

A: "And _there_ , as well. She's just not _admitting_ it."

K: "She admitted _as_ much. She loves life, and _Shinji_ is a major part of that life."

S: "So... in essence, she loves being with me?"

E: "Bit of a _roundabout_ way of saying it."

M: "Probably _f-fitting_ for a tsundere, as I s-suggested."

A: "Either way... it's _practically_ me saying I love being with you, Shinji. Eh?"

Shinji gave a small nod. "Sounds like that."

R: "It is more than you said to him _before_ , that is certain."

K: "Though it's understandable you might not _know_ what to live for, still. Not many people know."

R: "But it is up to _oneself_ to figure that out."

M: "What _do_ y-you guys live for?"

A: "Each other." She gave a short chuckle. "I don't think I _ever_ want to be alone again. So even if everything else goes to shit, at least I'll have _someone_. Hopefully."

R: "I am sure you will. So do not worry."

... **(479)**

A: "And now I'm _alone_ again, I guess I can _think_ about what Shinji just said without my tsun getting in the way."

S: "I'm sure a good meal _would_ serve as penance for that."

R: "Breakfast in bed is generally a good gesture all around."

M: "Isn't t-that _also_ bad romantic crap, as Asuka w-would put it?"

E: "That's what we call a _trap_."

K: "It certainly wouldn't be the _first_ time, if this were a trap."

A: "Either way... I got a bit to think about, eh?"

... **(480)**

S: "...Well _that_ was quick."

A: "Pfft, of _course_ I'd think that, Shin-chan!"

E: "There isn't exactly much _else_ to live for, in that world."

R: "It is all in _confirming_ that to yourself. She has decided that she wants to live for _Shinji_ , even if not to his face."

K: "And so, you _will_."

M: "I'm sure y-you'd call this _sappy_ , Asuka."

A: "Yeah, probably. But I'm not with _Shinji_ at the moment, so it's all good to her."

... **(481)**

A: "So much for breakfast in bed." She huffed.

R: "Rather a _shame_ , I would think."

S: "Knowing _you_ , you would've been awake _immediately_ , Asuka."

E: "Maybe that _thought_ of hers is a pleasant enough one to warrant her sleep."

A: "It _is_ a rather nice thought, eh?"

K: "One suspiciously similar to what _I_ said, in the Laserdiscs."

R: "If _Bond_ proved anything, no one in particular is _born_ to meet someone."

M: "I'm s-sure it _seems_ like t-that to the pair, though."

K: "That's how you know they fit _well_ together. If they believe they were born to meet each other, that's essentially saying their whole lives have lead up to _being_ with one another."

A: "I mean, I wouldn't really _mind_ if I was born to meet someone. As long as I loved them and they love _me_."

E: "Just like you and Shinji."

A: "...Yeah. I suppose it _is_ just like us." A small smile as she glanced towards him. "Though then again, with all the various _works_ that pair us together, you'd think we _were_ born to meet each other!"

S: "Guess that makes Bond a _radical_ , then."

A: "Heh, you bet!"

**(Page 482)**

" _That_ looks a-adorable, at least."

"As it _would_." Emphasised Asuka. " _I'd_ probably snuggle a bit _closer_ to him."

"And I'm sure you'd be wearing a bit _less_."

"Ehh that's probably _close_."

"At least on _most_ nights, I'm sure." Suggested Kaworu.

To which Asuka poked her tongue. "Ah well, I suppose we _are_ getting even closer together."

"Always a _good_ thing, I'd think."

"Of course _you'd_ think that, Shin-chan." With a smirk. "Good thing _I_ do, as well."

~~~

** 2.46: I Need You **

_Home_ **(Page 483)**

R: "You are certainly _confident_ you can live there."

A: "I _did_ say we were gonna find where _NERV_ is, right?"

E: "Which is a _reasonable_ point to find. They would have _plenty_ of resources."

S: "And the NERV in Berlin would be less _destroyed_ than the one in Tokyo-3, as well."

K: "Not least due to the fact NERV in Tokyo-3 was based almost _entirely_ in the Geofront. Otherwise known as the _Black Moon_."

M: " _That_ h-had something to do with the end of the w-world?"

A: "We gotta show you the _Laserdiscs_ when we get back home, eh?"

M: "I suppose it'd l-let me _catch up_ on all that stuff."

... **(484)**

K: "You _say_ that."

A: "But after living _together_ for almost a _year_ now, I don't think I _could_ live alone."

E: "As we said, _posturing_."

S: "At least from my _expression_ , it shouldn't be that bad."

M: "A place to l-live _always_ seems rather nice."

R: "And I am sure such a home would have plenty of _resources,_ either way."

A: "We certainly _travelled_ as far for it; you'd _hope_ it was a good place to live."

... **(485)**

M: "That's a f-fucking _castle_!"

R: "The _upkeep_ of such a home would be rather _intensive_ , I would think."

A: "If _that's_ NERV-Berlin, then that's more than _our_ facilities were!"

M: "You think t- _that's_ NERV-Berlin?"

K: "And this is _still_ more _spartan_ in comparison to the facility _Bond_ described."

E: "I doubt you'd be living in _that_ facility. Perhaps one of the _townhouses_ surrounding."

S: "We certainly won't lack _power_ , with those _wind farms_ surrounding the place."

R: "Looks like plenty of good land for farming, as well."

A: "And I suppose it'd be up to _me_ to populate that damn thing!"

K: "Well, _Shinji_ would have to help with that as well."

... **(486)**

A: "Heh, I might as well be _attached_ to you, Shinji."

S: "And I could say the same."

E: "Not like there's much else you _could_ follow."

M: "Maybe that _dog_ y-you found one time."

R: "That dog was the _only_ other living creature seen in this work."

K: "Perhaps such thing didn't _interest_ Pengel."

A: "Animals aside, it shows we _both_ wanna start _living_ in our new home."

E: "Aptly named _Home_."

S: "Not much _else_ we could call it, I suppose."

K: "And it _is_ indeed an apt name. It is where you'll be living for the remainder of your lives, I'm sure."

A: "Unless you pull a _Groundhog Day_ on us again, Kaworu."

K: "Barring that, yes."

... **(487)**

R: "Which means _we_ will never know."

M: "Would _our_ A-Asuka know what she was saying?"

A: "I don't even know what she's _thinking_ half the time."

E: "If she didn't feel the need to say it, perhaps it was not so _important_."

S: "Or it's important to _her_."

A: "Ah so it's my _tsun_ stopping such thoughts from coming out."

K: "Your tsun has been remarkably _lacking_ in this specific section."

A: "I know, right? What a pleasant change! Hopefully it keeps up!"

**(Page 488)**

"Oh, I guess that's it for _this_ section, then."

"And look how far we got!" Asuka exclaimed. "We're actually getting close to where _we_ are!"

"Maybe with a bit more _tsun_ than usual."

"And e-even _that_ seems to be dropping off some."

"Pretty great, eh?" She chuckled. "Ah well, we might as well keep going until we get to the _start_ of the next part."

"And then leave it for _tomorrow_?"

"Read me like a _book_ , Shin-chan."

~~~

** 2.47: Scribbling **

_Sketchbook_ **(Page 489)**

M: "Can't d-deny it's a lot less _lewd_ than t-the _previous_ draftings."

A: "I actually look _respectable_ in this."

R: "So do _I_." She thought. "Though I do not know why I would need to wear _glasses_."

K: "Maybe because they can look _cute_ on someone?"

M: " _I_ t-think so, though then again I'm probably _biased_ f-for that."

E: "But even as _you_ said, Evangelion piloting and glasses wearing doesn't really _mix_."

S: "You could wear them _outside_ the Evangelion, I suppose."

R: "If you _need_ them. Which we do _not_."

K: "And I'm sure if we _did_ , Ritsuko would've brought us up on it at this point. Eyesight _is_ a regular part of a medical check, after all."

... **(490)**

E: "Though _speaking of_."

A: "What am I, _cosplaying_ as them?"

S: "Certainly _looks_ like it." He chuckled.

M: "And of _S-Santa_ as well."

R: "Much like the _Christmas omake_ , previously."

K: "You look rather nice in _that_ , Rei."

R: "Heh. It _is_ a rather nice summer dress."

... **(491)**

M: "Well _that_ j-just got weird."

The group laughed. "Where to even _begin_ with that?" Asuka thought aloud.

S: "Maybe the baiting of Unit-01 with a _donut_?"

K: "Or Lilith _running_ with her myriad of feet?"

R: "Or me drinking a canned coffee."

E: " _That's_ what you focus on? Not the _prehistoric_ version of you?"

S: "And who are you talking with down _there,_ Asuka?"

A: "God knows, maybe _Mayumi_? She looks _vaguely_ similar."

R: "She looks similar to _Tanaka_."

A: "Ehh I can _see_ that, at least in the _face_. I thought she was _blonde_ , though."

S: "It'd explain _why_ you were arguing, I suppose."

_Cosplay_ **(492)**

A: "Oh _speaking_ of cosplay!"

K: "From the blurb, it sounds like this Daicon IV was _related_ to Gainax in some way."

R: "Might have to ask _Kensuke_ about whether such thing _exists_ in our world."

E: "As it's related to _Gainax_ , I doubt it."

S: "Either way, it's a good excuse to get you in a _bunny girl_ costume, Asuka."

She poked her tongue at him. "A _miraculous_ combination, as Pengel put it."

M: "So this is referring to s-something that doesn't _exist_ in our world?"

R: "Potentially. Either way, it is a good excuse to get her in a bunny girl costume, as Shinji suggested."

... **(493)**

M: "I've h-heard of _Macross_ , at least."

R: "Trigun is _another_ one I recognise from Kensuke's collection."

S: "What about Sakura Wars?"

R: "Not a third one."

A: "Either way, I don't look too _bad_ in all that!"

E: "Gods know how you'd do that _hair_ for the Macross girl, though."

A: "Oh _I_ wouldn't have a clue to do that either."

K: "The good thing about a _drawing_ , you can give them just about _any_ style."

A: "I'm sure I _would_ go for a hairstyle like that, if I didn't have to spend _twelve hours a day_ getting it like that."

S: "The _Chinese Dress_ would be easy enough to do, at least."

A: "Yeah _you'd_ like that, of course."

... **(494)**

R: "I think _Kensuke_ might recognise these franchises."

A: "Just about _anyone_ would recognise _Gundam_ , of course."

M: "Couldn't go _f-five minutes_ without someone calling me a Gundam pilot, when I w-was in school."

K: "Either way, the cosplay is _still_ rather tasteful."

E: "Not like _many_ of us would know about these franchises."

S: "Wouldn't it be kinda weird if you were cosplaying something we've _seen_?"

A: "Oh yeah, lemme just strip nude and cosplay as _Lucy_."

... **(495)**

K: "I've noticed you're almost always carrying a _weapon_ of some sort during the cosplay."

A: "Gotta make it work, eh? If those characters are _associated_ with such a weapon."

R: "I heard good things about Utena from Kensuke, even if he described it as strange."

S: "As strange as _our_ show was?"

R: "Perhaps."

E: "Is this giving _you_ inspiration to do this, Asuka?"

A: "I don't even know who any of these people _are_. Even if I've _heard_ of these shows, God knows I haven't _watched_ them."

M: "Might h-have to _watch_ them, perhaps."

R: "As far as I know, these works _do_ exist in our world. Other than Daicon IV, I have either heard Kensuke speak about this, or have seen it in his collection."

K: "Rather fascinating it's all works that _would_ exist in our world."

... **(496)**

M: "Oh I know w-what _Sailor Moon_ is, at l-least."

A: "Fucking _everyone_ knows what Sailor Moon is." She huffed. "I bet I'm only Sailor _Mars_ because of my hair."

R: "Even though her hair is _jet black_."

A: "Oh so it doesn't even _fit_!"

K: "I'm sure _Misato_ wouldn't mind doing such cosplay."

S: "Probably not with _me_ , though."

A: "As long as it was with _everyone_ , I'm sure she'd like it."

E: "Are you getting any _ideas_ for the future, Asuka?"

A: "Perhaps." She smirked.

_Freaky Friday_ **(Page 497)**

S: " _Shinko_?!"

Asuka couldn't help but giggle like a madwoman. "And you're my _little sister_ as well!"

M: "Ain't _that_ a s-strange world."

K: "With _plenty_ of unfortunate implications." He noted.

R: "Thing is, is this _better_ than what happened in our world, or _worse_?"

E: "Second Impact _still_ happened, which means the threat of _Angels_ as well."

A: "Maybe we're gonna _magical girl_ the shit out of the Angels, this time around."

R: "It would depend on whether _Kaworu_ switched sexes, as well."

K: "Most likely, if _Shinji_ switched but Asuka didn't."

S: "So males just don't _exist_ in that world?"

A: "It'd certainly _seem_ like it, in a damn _girl's academy_."

... **(498)**

K: "I like how they kept my name _exactly the same_."

R: "Other than you having somewhat longer hair, you _are_ exactly the same."

M: "Does that wording i-imply _you_ are sisters, as well?"

E: "It implies my _mothers_ are sisters as well."

A: "Why does Gen _ko_ have a _beard_!?"

S: "That's a _lot_ of implications with this work, isn't it?"

E: "Here's hoping it doesn't _actually_ exist."

M: "Though _now_ I'm a b-bit curious. Have _you_ ever looped in as the _o-opposite_ sex, Kaworu?"

K: "It wouldn't _surprise_ me, though I have no firm memory of such thing happening."

E: "That's practically what _you're_ experiencing, Mari."

M: "Eh, a boy's body isn't _that_ bad."

_Choker_ **(Page 499)**

A: "Pfft, of _course_ I get you _that_ for your birthday!"

S: "Fitting, isn't it."

R: "That song is rather _bold_ of you, Shinji."

M: "What _would_ y-you want to do with her?"

E: "I'm sure a _lot_."

S: "I'd be a bit less _crass_ about it."

K: "I'm sure she would've done that anyway. Might as well _stun_ her first."

A: "Maybe then, he'd have an opportunity to _run_ from my wrath."

_Angel_ **(Page 500)**

R: "You do not look too bad like _that_ , at least."

A: "Heh, you think?"

M: "Looks almost l-like a _tarot card_."

K: "I wonder how tarot cards of us would _work_."

E: "It'd probably be sexually suggestive images of all the females."

S: "You know Gainax well, Eliza."

A: "Or practically _anyone_ that makes content of us."

... **(501, 502)**

A: "As if they weren't playing that up _before_."

R: "You _are_ the only two people left on the planet."

K: "I suppose the comparison was _inevitable_."

E: "Did Adam and Eve ever had to deal with the _inbreeding_ that resulted?"

M: "It's a _biblical_ s-story, so probably not."

K: "Or by the grace of God, they fixed all the genetic defects that would result from that sort of interbreeding."

S: "If we're hoping to _repopulate_ the Earth, then we better start praying _now_."

A: "Would Pengel even give a damn about _that_?"

R: "I would _hope_ , at least."

... **(503, 504)**

S: "Seeing you _is_ pretty nice, Asuka."

A: "And right back atcha, Shin-chan."

K: "They're right about _time_ , I suppose. Time heals all wounds, slow it may be."

R: "The aid of others will help. But you _will_ move on."

M: "...Suppose that a-applies to _me_ , eh?"

E: "And _everyone_."

A: "Of course, as Rei said. _Others_ help. I don't think _anyone_ here would be as fine as we are if our relationship wasn't there."

S: "Not least because the world would've _ended_."

A: "Yeah that's the _main_ reason for it, admittedly."

~

**STOP 505, 506**

"I suppose this is where we'll leave off for now." Kaworu suggested.

"Yeah. At cryptic words and a suggestive title."

"So par for the course for our works."

"Yeah, pretty much." Jested Asuka, as she closed the doujin. "Well, anyone here got any ideas what to do?"

A brief silence as people thought.

"We d-don't have a VHS or Laserdisc p-player, right?"

Shaking their heads. "Only the DVD player via the Playstation." Said Rei. "And I doubt we would find a video DVD before sundown."

"We could search for _weeks_ and not find a DVD."

"Could always just play _video games_ again." Thought Shinji.

To which everyone shrugged. "Works for me."

* * *

## 3\. Laying Plans

With the recent discoveries by Makinami, it was rather understandable why Misato, Kaji, Ritsuko and Maya were currently in a late night _discussion_.

Anyone else would call them _crisis talks_ , but now wasn't the time for such thing. Not _yet_ , at least. "If Oversight was _not_ told about this yet, then I'll _have_ to tell them about it."

"And let them run around like headless chickens." Wryly thought Ritsuko. "Or is that just the UN in general."

"Oversight knows to keep their mouths shut, at least." Grunted the Commander. "As you said, no point inducing unnecessary fear."

"How are we gonna keep _quiet_ about it?" Maya asked. "They see us preparing in an _obvious_ manner, there's gonna be _questions_."

Misato had to think about this. "How goes the Unit-01 retrofit?"

"R&D spent the past week fabricating a NACSS based on the Massachusetts design; haven't modified it or anything, not until we know _how_ to manufacture it at least."

"Seems reasonable to start with a _working_ design, either way."

"That and it gives us a bit more _insight_ into how it works."

"Weren't you the one to come up with the theory, Sempai?"

"The _theory_ , but not the _machine_. Where was I... right. Unit-01's NACSS should be ready by tomorrow afternoon. Retrofit should be done by Monday, and we can get Hiro and Zero Two to test it by then. Get them off a computer."

"I imagine they weren't doing much after _yesterday_." Maya thought with amusement. "How long were they in that sim for, again?"

"Better half of a day." Chuckled Misato. "They might have to get _used_ to such testing, though."

"We shouldn't forget our _other_ pilots."

"Heh. I'm probably gonna work them to the bone in the sim, once they're back."

"We still have too many pilots for Evangelion, right?"

A nod towards Maya's query. "But more pilots aren't _really_ a bad thing. Especially when you can just _swap out_ a pair with the NACSS. Once Unit-01 is refitted, _any_ pilot pair can use it. Not just Shinji."

"Which applies to Unit- _02_ , as well."

"As soon as we get Hikari's mum out of there, of course."

The Commander offered a sigh, leaning back in her chair, sipping on a can of coffee. "So. What to do to prepare for whatever the hell _could_ happen." More of an open question to the cabal, but no one decided to answer. "...Alright, first things first. Rits, increase monitoring over Antarctica. Hopefully those satellites Massachusetts put up have enough power."

She gave a nod.

"I'll update the training regime. Once Unit-01 is retrofitted, we'll dedicate Fridays to simulator training for _all_ pilots."

"Which we can explain away as testing the NACSS."

Misato confirmed her partner's observation.

"What of Toji?"

"We'll wait on whether he _wants_ to become a pilot. I'm sure being with _Hikari_ would be good enough incentive."

"It depends if Hikari _wants_ to do that, with him." Ritsuko continued the train of thought. "She _just_ saw the Laserdiscs, after all. And we _all_ know what happened to him there."

A small spot of silence.

"You might wanna _chat_ with them, Misato."

"Yeah. I really _should_ , Ryoji." She sighed. "I'll get Hikari to bring him in on Saturday, we can discuss it then."

The can went down. "I bet _my_ charges will be _very_ pleased with the fact _something else_ might come out of the shadows too screw with us."

A few chuckles. "It's good they've had a bit of a break, then."

"They got _that_ going for them, at least."

* * *


	6. After 06

* * *

## 1\. Fridays

Hikari's eyes fluttered open with the rising sun.

And couldn't help but chuckle, as she realised she was clutching onto a pillow. "Damn it."

Silently rueing herself for not ageing faster, she stretched herself akin to a cat and hopped out of bed, hoping to get to the bathroom before one of her sisters could monopolise it for the next hour, as they were wont to do.

Gives her time to plan, at least. "Okay, Friday... Ko's probably gonna be out doing _plenty_ of sinful stuff tonight with that boy of hers." As she furrowed her brow. But hey, she was her own woman and that, so she couldn't complain. And considering what _she_ was planning, as well. "I'll get Noz to sleepover with Sakura... Dad's working late but he knows what we do anyway so _that's_ all good..."

A small smirk, as she eyed her _self_ in the bathroom mirror. "Oh yeah. It's all coming together."

Her train of thought was shattered by the loud trill of her phone, coming from her bedside table. Donning a towel, she rushed back to her room to answer, almost tripping onto her bed for her trouble. "Misato?"

_"Did I wake ya?"_

"Oh not at all, almost caught me in the _shower_ though."

_"That's probably even_ worse _."_ A huff over the line. _"Rits and I_ _wanna get more acquainted with the NACSS, especially now we're building our own. Hopefully you don't have anything_ planned _tonight."_

"Or for any Friday for the foreseeable future." She wryly responded, predicting her next line.

_"Yeah, sorry 'bout that, but you know how NERV's like."_

"Yeah, I know." As she sighed. "Though you said it was the _NACSS_ , so at least that means I can be with _Toji_."

_"That's probably how you spend your Fridays_ anyway, _Hikari."_ The Commander prodded. _"And you know how well the NACSS work when you're_ close _with your pilot partner."_

"Heh, I'm guessing that means Toji's one of us, now?"

_"That's all depending on what_ he _wants, ultimately. But... if it means being with_ you _. And if it could mean potentially_ protecting _you."_

There were a few seconds of silence, as Hikari thought about it. That _would_ be a Toji thing to do. "...You know him too well, Commander."

_"And_ you _know him best, that's why we want you_ both _."_ She sounded well meaning. _"Come in after school today, bring your_ boytoy _along with you. We'll get a baseline with the newly configured Unit-02 before testing you two with NT-Unit-00. Let you chat with mum, eh?"_

"Sounds like a plan, Commander." She did well to suppress her embarrassment at that _name_ for her partner.

_"Good to hear your_ enthusiasm _, Hikari."_ Flat. _"I'll let you get back to your shower, alright?"_

"Thanks, I guess." She flatly responded in kind. "See ya later today, then."

The phone clicked off.

She folded it back up and stared at it blankly for a few seconds. "...Well, I suppose I'm _still_ spending time with Toji."

Her flip phone safely on the bedside table, she slowly sauntered back to the bathroom for a relaxing and cleansing shower before the day _really_ got started, Hikari's mind filling with _plenty_ of pleasant thoughts.

At least until she tried to open the door to the bathroom, finding it locked. Her train of thought once more shattered as she clued in to the running shower, as she bashed on the door. "OI! I WAS THERE FIRST!"

_"I didn't_ see _you in here, sis~!"_ Her elder sister sing-songed, as she started singing _Plastic Love_ in the shower, as if to rub salt in the wound.

"I left my nightwear in there!"

_"I thought you went on an early morning_ streak _!"_

"That's something _you'd_ _do_!"

Kodama deliberately ignored this and started singing _louder_.

A quiet grumble of impotent rage before she trudged to the living room in a huff. She might as well have breakfast.

Nozomi didn't even bat an eye seeing her sister in just a towel, as she made herself some toast. "Ko get in before you, I'm guessing."

" _I_ got there before her!"

"What you're _wearing_ says that, sis." Wry as someone her age can be, dropping her food and drink on a table before tuning in the TV to some morning entertainment, some old western anime about a sponge. "A shame _your boy_ isn't here to see this, eh?"

The middle child rolled her eyes, as she went about her own breakfast.

~

_The river of time flowed._

_A small stone was tossed into the rivers, skipping some before dissipating. "You g-get up to much yesterday, Mrs I?"_

_The woman sitting beside her shrugged. "Same as usual, I suppose. Kyoko and I help around my brother's house, make ourselves useful. Cleared out my father's old room; not like he's using it anymore."_

_"...Your old m-man die recently?"_

_A small nod. "Don't worry, he was an asshole."_

_"...Sounds like y-you two didn't have the best r-relationship."_

_"Well he_ did _try to have me killed over a decade ago."_

_"That_ does _tend t-to put a damper on relationships, I feel." With a small chuckle. "Then a-again... my closest friend_ did _k-kill me and that didn't change my o-opinion of them."_

_A small quiet, as Yui took in the thought. "You seem quite fine for being dead."_

_"Heh. C-Could say the same for_ you _, with w-what I know."_

_"...And of Kyoko." She quietly thought, looking back to the rivers._

_Another calm quiet descended._

_"So... what_ a-are _you two? Friends, l-lovers... if you d-don't mind me asking."_

_"We're... seeing what happens with it." She eventually answered. "I appreciate the company, especially at_ night _... and I suppose you could say after_ both _our husbands acted, you could say it was_ expected _."_

_A calm inhale from the Nephilim. "...Your thoughts s-say otherwise."_

_"I'm never getting used to that." She sighed. "But... yeah. I know I shouldn't let them get in the way, but..."_

_"You d-did what you could, for him. And... you haven't_ forgotten _them. But... m-might be hard to do in practice. Don't let it stop you."_

_Another nod. "...It'll be hard, yeah. But I'll certainly try."_

_"And t-that's all anyone expects. At least_ try _." Mari offered a soft smile. "Now, I r-reckon it's getting a bit late in the day o-over there, eh?"_

_"...Yeah." She huffed. "Guess I'll see you around, Mari."_

_"Catch ya t-then, Mrs Ikari."_

_With a soft smile of her own, the elder dissipated._

_Mari flopped down on the surface, taking care not to kick up anything._

_"Good conversation, I take."_

_The brunette glanced her eyes upward, catching the fish standing over her._

_She chuckled. "And h-how much of our conversation w-were you spying on?"_

_"Parts." With a snicker, as she sat down behind her. "I was more fascinated by the fact_ she _appears in this realm."_

_The girl rotated herself onto her stomach with her only hand, facing the other Nephilim with her arm supporting her head. "I t-think she mentioned something about_ E-Evangelion _."_

_"That's often the cause of most issues, yes."_

_Mari couldn't help but giggle at that statement. "Can't even s-say that's_ false _." Before she looked around. "Rei n-not here, I'm guessing. She might k-know more."_

_Kaworu shook his head. "She is spending time with Eliza and Sovereign. I believe seeing if they can induce sentience in him again."_

_"Fair e-enough." She looked up towards him. "Guess that l-leaves you with little ol' me, e-eh?"_

_"Not like that's a_ bad _thing, after all."_

_"I'd_ hope _it w-wasn't, living in that head of yours."_

_They both chuckled at the remark._

_Before Mari sighed, glancing down. "Rei w-wouldn't complain if I curled up to y-you, right?"_

_"You know she wouldn't."_

_It took Mari a few more seconds to think about it, before she sought his warmth. "...Thanks."_

_Kaworu responded by holding her tighter. "You don't have to feel_ bashful _about that kind of thing, Mari. You'll be staying with me a while, after all."_

_"...Heh, a w-while." A quiet thought. "...I'm still f-finding this hard to believe, Ash."_

_"That we saved you?"_

_A small nod. "And... that I'm n-not..._ suffering _, a-anymore."_

_His thumb wiped a few stray tears from her. "We have plenty of time to convince you, at least."_

_Another few quiet moments passed, before Mari chose to simply settle into him. "...Yeah. W-We do."_

_And there they remained for the night._

_~_

The eyes of Kaworu or Mari flicked open, and it was only now that they realised they were currently on the _floor_.

"I didn't _t-think_ we had a rough night."

A small chuckle from the fish. "Such are the issues with sleeping in a bed with three other people." As he got himself up. "At least it allows us to get some _breakfast_."

"Raw cereal a-again?"

"Not if I can help it."

Waltzing out of the bedroom and eventually into the kitchen, he elected for toast, the household _still_ lacking in the milk department. "You have a spread of choice, Mari?"

"Always h-had chunky peanut butter as a k-kid, I suppose."

Kaworu began rummaging through the pantry. "Uhh... ah, how about _smooth_ peanut butter?"

"Man w-we don't have _anything_ in this house." She huffed. "But I _guess_ s-smooth peanut butter is alright. How in d-date is it?"

Checking the lid. "It's within the _decade_."

"Eh," Audibly shrugging. "You h-have an S2 to flush out anything b-bad."

"Fair enough."

Attempting to stick the knife in, he found the peanut butter as hard as _Bakelite_.

"Oh I g-guess we won't even have _that_."

"We really _should_ shop for some groceries." A passing thought, as the brick fell into the bin. "Although it may have to wait for a bit."

Even Mar could sense that his Field picked up on something. "Them, I g-guess?"

"Indeed." With a warm smile. "Perhaps they noticed we were gone."

"I'd have _h-hoped_."

" _You're_ certainly up early, Kaworu." Noted Asuka, rummaging around for food. "Eager to get started with this?"

"More like eager for _breakfast_ , though I _suppose_ the work is a good incentive too."

A barked laugh, as Asuka sat down with a bowl of dry cereal.

"There is not too much _there_." Thought Rei, finding not much suitable.

"Might have to go _shopping_."

"We've been saying that for the past few _days_ , Shinji."

"Eventually we're gonna run out of food, _then_ we'd have to shop."

"It's practically empty _a-anyway_." As she sat at the table, the group soon gathering around.

"So it is settled. We will go grocery shopping."

Nodding all around.

"... _After_ we read through some of this doujin."

Nodding all around.

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.48: Here Beneath The Sky **

_Heart of the World_ **(Page 507)**

K: "Always a good start when you're together like _that_."

A: "I know, right?"

... **(508)**

A: "She's got _that_ right, as well!"

M: "Even if you s-still call him your _property_."

E: "That's just how a tsun says 'I love you'."

S: "And _my_ words say as much."

R: "I am sure you _would_ say those words, as well."

A: "We _have_." With a short chuckle. "And with what I said to him _before_ , this is a _massive_ improvement."

K: "To actually get an _admission_ like that out of you, as well."

A: "Almost like we're making good progress!"

M: "Sounds like it's a-about time."

A: "You bet it is!"

... **(509)**

S: "It _is_ a rather nice place to live, at least."

R: "With plenty of resources for good living."

M: "Almost h-heaven, eh?"

K: "We know well that heaven is what you make it."

E: "I would expect they _would_ make their own happiness there, then."

A: "We already _were_ , at least. But yeah, now we aren't roaming around a bit, we _should_ be able to settle down with each other." She gave a small smile. "We certainly already _sound_ like a close couple."

S: "Much like _here_ , then."

A: "And it only took _five hundred pages_ to get here!"

M: "Maybe t-that all _was_ a prologue."

... **(510)**

R: "Actually a _decent_ unfamiliar ceiling, for once."

S: "It's not a _hospital_. I think."

M: "The b-bedding's too nice for a hospital."

E: "And of _course_ you go for the most picturesque room in the whole facility."

A: "Of _course_ we would, why not? Not like anyone _else_ can complain about that."

K: "I wonder if that was the _Commander's_ quarters, of NERV-Berlin. It certainly _looks_ significant enough as a residence."

A: "I can tell _I'm_ enjoying the bedding, at least."

R: "Or the _dream_."

M: "I reckon y-you're dreaming about _Shinji_."

A: "Well _duh_."

... **(511)**

A: "Pfft, _you're_ no fun Shin-chan."

R: "Doing that most likely _saved his life_ , you realise."

A: "Oh I know _that_ , at least."

E: "I'm rather surprised you even _found_ such clothing."

M: "We're you _colour m-matching_?"

A few seconds passed before Asuka burst out laughing, realising Mari's words. "The carpet _already_ matches the drapes though!"

S: "Why do I get the feeling this was _another_ fake sleep?"

K: "Because Asuka did it before. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on _me_."

A: "Oh so Shinji is _Pavlov's dog_ now." She huffed. "Though I can understand why we're _sleeping in_ , at least. First time at our new home, probably in the first bed we've slept in for more than a _day_."

R: "I am sure you will _break in_ that bed soon enough."

Asuka snickered. "Oh you bet."

_Genesis_ **(Page 512)**

R: "Scratch that. You _already_ broke in your new bed."

A barked laugh. "Nothing like _testing the springs_ a bit!"

M: "Why d-do I feel that'll be a _common_ thing, f-from here on out."

K: "You'll come to realise it's a common thing _here_ , as well."

A: "Not that _you two_ complain about perving on us."

S: "...I suppose that explains why we didn't know what _that_ colony is."

E: "I'm assuming it didn't _exist_ here?"

K: "Perhaps Seele _did_ invest resources into such thing. If they did, it wasn't _this_ well known."

A: "They had to get to Mars _somehow_ , Kaworu."

R: "Either way, both _Genesis_ and _colony_ implies it is reasonably self sustaining. Which, in a situation like _this_ , is rather useful."

M: "It'd be g-good to support whatever _children_ you t-two have, at least."

A: "And with how we're like, that's gonna happen _sooner_ rather than later."

R: "Perhaps the name _Genesis_ will be even _more_ fitting, then."

K: "Pengel _already_ compared you two to Adam and Eve, after all."

S: "With all the implications it brings." Flat. "What was the line you had for that, Mari?"

M: "Roll tide."

S: "Yeah, that."

... **(513)**

S: "I reckon you're still adorable."

A: "Heh, good thing I don't _sock_ you for that sorta thing."

M: " _She_ d-does."

E: "Either way, sounds like _you_ have a lot of experience with this place, Asuka."

K: "How convenient."

R: "At least we will _know_ what this colony is for."

A: "Maybe _that's_ why I wanted to go to Germany, as well. I would've _known_ a place like this existed."

E: "And therefore, you would've known that it was your _best_ chance."

M: "I mean, it _s-still_ sounds like a bit of a trek from _Japan_."

A: "Yeah, but the thing with _travelling_ from place to place, you generally have _resources_. You stay in a place for long enough, eventually you're gonna _exhaust_ the place unless you have some supply chains."

K: "Which you _lack_. This was almost _exactly_ why the first humans were _nomadic_."

... **(514)**

E: "You're certainly right about _that_ , Shinji."

R: "So it _was_ Gehirn, at least."

K: "And it _did_ have a role to play in artificial evolution."

A: "Though they didn't go _that_ far, eh?"

S: "They would've had to test the things for the Geofront _somewhere_ , I guess."

M: "Could t-they have just tested it in the _G-Geofront_?"

A: "Yeah, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that _our_ Seele and Gehirn focused on where the _Progenitor of all humanity_ was located."

E: "Either way, _very_ convenient that it's self sustaining and supporting."

K: "Only there's no power _currently_."

R: "That is most likely what the _wind farms_ were for. It would not surprise me if they had _additional_ renewable sources of energy, as well."

A: "Oh maybe we _will_ get some solar panels again!"

... **(515)**

A: "When the hell did _that_ happen?"

S: "Shame I _don't_ remember that."

E: "Did NERV have _another_ blackout, in the world where this doujin stems from?"

M: " _Your_ NERV h-had a _blackout_? How the hell does _that_ happen?"

R: "Either induced by an Angel or sabotaged by Kaji, he does not confirm or deny this."

K: "Amazing how we _still_ don't know if Matarael could do such thing."

A: " _You_ don't even know, Kaworu?"

Kaworu shook his head. "I never really knew what my siblings could do."

E: "Are you _sure_ you've outgrown that sort of behaviour?"

A: "I mean, I _am_ fucking Shinji on the regular, so it's become a bit more than _teasing_."

M: "Was that s-something _else_ you wrote about, Shinji?"

S: "Wouldn't surprise me." With a small smirk. "Though now I'm kinda _curious_ as to _where_ that happened."

A: "Probably in that _dating sim_ Pengel talks about sometimes."

... **(516)**

M: "Sounds l-like a _fitting_ name."

R: "I could debate such a name was fitting for _our_ situation, as well. All of these works ultimately appear to stem from the _Laserdiscs_. As if trees on a branch."

E: "You could assume the _Laserdiscs,_ therefore, stem from a branch of their own."

A: "And so on until you get to the _roots_ , in which case you'll probably get a serious talking to by _God_ or something."

K: "Not like it's something that can really be _proven_."

S: "Don't you two _walk time_ or something like that?"

K: "Yes, but unless _God_ or _Ganesha_ came down and told us ourselves that it exists, the average person wouldn't even _consider_ such thing a possibility."

A: "Either way, we're almost certainly _not_ thinking about the possibility our universe is just a _tree_."

R: "You have the _time_ to now, at least."

M: "Especially if l-living there sounds as _easy_ as you suggested."

... **(517)**

K: "That's all you can really do, in a relationship."

A: "Yeah, it's not _just_ one and done. Gotta keep at it, eh?"

M: "Seems y-you've taken that to heart, eh?"

A: "I'd _hope_. Maybe _that's_ why I'm treating Shinji a bit better."

S: "Could also apply that to where we're _living_. Any problems we _have_ with it, not like we can just up and leave."

E: "You _could_ , but it'd be a bit problematic."

R: "And I doubt _Asuka_ would want to, either way. And if _Asuka_ would not want to, _you_ would not want to either, Shinji."

S: "You got _that_ right."

A: "I doubt _that_ place is run down enough to _justify_ abandoning it. If it really _is_ self-sufficient, it should be able to survive a _year_ without any human input."

_Fool Me Once_ **(Page 518)**

A: "Ah! You got me, Shin-chan!"

S: "Fool me _once_ , Asuka." With a smug smirk.

R: "At least you _know_ everything you said she got, Shinji."

E: "Perhaps that's even _better_ , in a few ways. He _knows_ she's listening."

M: "Better than k-keeping it to himself. Or speaking it to someone _s-sleeping_."

A: " _I_ still gotta learn that, I feel."

K: "I believe you're learning it _well_ , at least."

A: "Depends whether I start chewing Shinji out for me being _awake_ or not."

... **(519)**

M: "I _s-suppose_ that's affectionate."

R: "A tsun's affection."

A: "It _is_ nice being able to wake up to the face of someone you love, as _you'd_ know, Rei."

E: "Do you _often_ wake up before one another?"

A: "Generally when one of us gets up, the other isn't long after."

S: "I don't _try_ to wake you up, of course."

A: "Yeah I know, but all that fidgeting tends to do the trick anyway." She chuckled. "But I guess that's just something you have to consider when you tend to fall asleep wrapped in one another."

K: "You give a good morning kiss, at least."

A: "Oh _yeah_ , usually _after_ the other wakes up though."

S: "Sometimes it even gets _further_ than that."

A: "Heh, depends how _early_ we get up, Shin-chan."

E: "I imagine Pengel would be _averse_ to depicting such morning routine."

K: "They'd _imply_ it."

... **(520)**

R: "Getting to know your surroundings, I imagine."

A: "Well, if we're gonna _live_ there, it'd be good to know the best places and that."

K: "Of course, it sounds like you have a _destination_ in mind."

E: "Consider that Yggdrasil was _known_ to Asuka before."

M: "D'ya think it's s-something from her memory?"

E: "I _would_ indeed think." With a small nod in confirmation. "Maybe _biting_ Shinji awake would speed that process up."

S: "She wouldn't have gotten that _talk_ , at least."

A: "I was surprised she didn't bite you _anyway_ , Shin-chan."

... **(521)**

M: "Maybe if y-you had _power_."

A: "Haven't gotten around to that, yet."

E: "I would think it'd be _wasteful_ to spend your power on an _elevator_."

K: "A wind farm _would_ generate plenty of power for the entire facility, I would think."

S: "At least when it's _windy_."

R: "Only use elevators in typhoons, got it."

A: "Though I wonder _what_ we'd be doing at the top."

M: "To look d-down at your queendom, probably."

A: "Heh, that's what _she_ would think."

... **(522)**

K: "Though once more, it was something you knew from _childhood_."

A: " _Must_ be important for us both to get to, then."

S: "Even though you've been complaining about the stairs."

E: "I'm sure as a child, she used the _elevator_."

R: "At least in a post apocalypse, there is no one _monitoring_ where you are going."

M: "Unless you c-count _Shinji_."

A: "I _want_ him to monitor me, though."

K: "Certainly a _way_ of putting it."

... **(523)**

A: "It's probably just the _roof_ , anyway."

R: "It _would_ be a reasonable place for _some_ privacy, at least."

M: "It'd be one of the _f-few_ places you could get some of that, I imagine."

A: "And you know that's what I would've _liked,_ when I was younger."

E: "Since this place didn't appear to _exist_ , what _would_ you do if you needed some privacy?"

A: "Bedroom." She shrugged. "It was probably bugged but I wouldn't have known that."

S: "Bit less _picturesque_ than the top of a skyscraper."

K: "Still, a quiet place is always nice, every once in a while. And either way, it holds good memories for Asuka."

A: "I'm sure you'll like it then, Shin-chan."

... **(524)**

M: "Yeah, it's t-the roof."

A: "Not like there's much _else_ to go, eh?"

_Sky_ **(Page 525)**

R: "Your favourite place is the _air_."

A: "Certainly _looks_ like that, eh?"

M: "What _w-would_ that place be, then?"

E: "An _antenna_ of some sort, perhaps."

A: "Painted _sky blue_ ; did they _want_ planes to crash into it?"

K: "The airspace surrounding NERV was probably a no-fly zone, anyway."

S: "I can _see_ why you like it, at least. It'd feel like you were just in _air_."

A: "Kinda like a _bird_ , eh? And now _you_ get to see it, Shin-chan!"

... **(526)**

A: "It's a fucking _solar panel_!"

The rest of the group snickered. "We can't deny it's of a greater _scale_ , compared to Wolk's work."

M: "So _all_ of t-them are solar panels?"

E: "Not just solar, _concentrated_ solar. The mirrors would concentrate all that solar energy to a single point, generating more power than conventional solar."

R: "So you not only have _wind_ power, you have _solar_ power. That covers almost all bases in energy generation."

S: "As long as the hardware keeps up."

K: "It _is_ meant to be self-sufficient. Which _should_ imply a degree of being able to run without input."

S: "No wonder it's _bright_ , though."

A: "At least it's not a sky blue _antenna_ , at least."

... **(527)**

K: "At least until they found you."

R: "And got you off the essential hardware."

A: "But _until_ then, it was like I was walking in air."

M: "That's _another_ r-reason Evangelion was pretty cool. That sense of _freedom_."

E: "Even _that_ would've only been _skin deep_. NERV are _always_ in full control of the Evangelion."

S: "You _say_ that, Eliza."

E: "Yeah that's probably _less_ than true, at this point." Muttering, as she recognised her current situation.

A: "They're in full control when _we're_ controlling it." She huffed. "Though that _does_ sounds rather nice. Not sure if the _sky_ cradling me is a good substitute for _Shinji_ cradling me, though."

R: "It would still be _warm_ , I imagine."

... **(528)**

R: "I feel there is an innuendo to this."

A: "Heh, though I _already_ let Shinji into my special place!"

M: "But you called t-that your _extra_ special place."

E: "No _wonder_ it took you this long to let him in _there_."

S: "Considering I'm already _well acquainted_ with the special place."

K: "I'm sure he _already_ looks at _things_ to his heart's content, anyway."

E: "What _is_ there to look at, anyway?"

A: "The _sky_?"

A beat passed.

A: "Yeah that's not too great, considering we see the sky _daily_."

K: "But it's the _idea_ this mirror brings. That of _freedom_."

R: "And considering we have not had _much_ freedom, in our lives."

S: "We certainly have more _nowadays_ , at least."

E: "You there have even _more_. You're not even tied down by your responsibilities as _pilots_."

M: "Of course, that's kinda c-countered by the whole _apocalypse_ s-situation."

... **(529)**

M: "Smooth."

A: "That really _was_ smooth, eh?"

S: "I wonder if I even _intended_ it."

E: "I'm sure you would. You _do_ love her, after all."

R: "And you _do_ show her affection. Even _if_ she tends to counter that with violence."

K: "She hasn't immediately countered, so perhaps Shinji has a chance."

S: "For a few pages, at least."

A: "Heh, depends what I _get_ from it, Shin-chan. Maybe it's cause you consider _me_ your extra special someone, instead of a giant mirror."

E: "I'm sure that's _true_."

... **(530)**

Asuka couldn't help but blush. "Heh. Knew it."

S: "You know me well, Asuka."

A: " _Course_ I do, dummy."

E: "And I'm sure _that's_ true, as well."

M: "I'm sure the _u-universe_ pushing you two together helps."

R: "It is what happened _here_ , after all."

K: "In that sense, the location wouldn't really _matter_ much. As long as you two were _together._ "

A: "...Yeah. As long as we can _live_ , not much else _matters_ , eh?"

... **(531)**

M: "Looks like y-you think that as well, Asuka."

A: "I _can_ be affectionate when I want to. Or more when my _tsun_ wants to."

R: "I think that tsun is starting to fade some."

E: "Thawing the ice queen, it's been said."

K: "It certainly _looks_ like that."

S: "Can't wait for the _catch_."

The candle chuckled. " _Still_ expecting that, Shinji?"

R: "You are, as well."

A: "Yeah kinda." She huffed. "As Pengel is wont to do with me, it seems. At least _this_ is adorable enough."

... **(532)**

S: " _There_ it is."

E: "I imagine Shinji _wouldn't_ want to walk back down after that."

A: "Gotta get his face back in shape first." With a grim snicker.

M: "Pengel's hopeful, at l-least."

R: "They _are_ the entity pushing Shinji and Asuka together, after all."

A: "I wonder what _else_ we're gonna do up there, though."

K: "Let Shinji recover, first of all."

R: "Perhaps doing it on a _mirror_ would be interesting enough."

A: "Can't say _we've_ done anything like that. Have you two?"

Rei shook her head. "Gives an _idea_ at least."

E: "Good luck trying to find a massive _mirror_ that you two can bang on." She muttered.

**(Page 533, 534)**

"I suppose you are _dancing_ to that song."

"That we don't know of." Asuka remarked, glancing to the other page. "Oh God damn it."

The rest of the group chuckled. "That's only h-his house if he screws up."

"Even if he _did_ , I probably wouldn't _expel_ him from the house. Cause that just detriments _me_ as well."

"I wonder what kind of food Shinji _saw_ in the Yggdrasil building, then."

"It _does_ kinda look like a dumpling." As Shinji scratched his head.

"Perhaps Asuka will be kind enough to put some in your _dog bowl_."

"And that's _another_ reason why putting you in the doghouse isn't good for _me_. Who'd cook?"

"You're not _that_ bad a cook, Asuka."

"Only cause _you_ taught me, Shin-chan."

"Maybe you can put a small _kitchen_ in the doghouse." Suggested Kaworu.

"Or I just don't _have_ a doghouse and work any argument out with Shinji like we have a _healthy_ relationship."

"That sounds preferable."

~~~

** 2.49: A Vigorous Sensation **

_Cleanup_ **(Page 535)**

M: " _Would_ there b-be a lot of things to clean up there?"

R: "You might have to mop LCL."

K: "Though there _would_ be what was left behind to clean up. Unless you _wanted_ to keep clothing lying around."

A: "Clothing might be _useful_ for us, so we probably _would_ find a use for it. Even if we weren't _wearing_ it, it's still fabric."

S: "All else fails, you can use it as a _rag_."

E: "You wouldn't _think_ you were using the clothing, with what you're wearing."

A: "They _are_ a bit short, eh? Then again, _Shinji_ wouldn't complain."

... **(536)**

R: "I feel Pengel is _emphasising_ that."

A: "Yeah, but that's not exactly what _she's_ focusing on."

M: "Did you j-just realise he's taller?"

A: "Pretty much." With a chuckle. "Not that _I_ mind too much."

E: "I'm sure being _smaller_ would help with the bed."

S: "Were you taller than me to start with, Asuka?"

A: "Not something you _focused_ on, eh?" With a smirk. "But no, I'm pretty sure you _were_ always taller than me."

K: "Which isn't a _bad_ thing."

A: "Oh yeah, it isn't. Just gotta use a _stool_ if I'm trying to reach a shelf. Of course, you could've helped me in a _less_ suggestive way, Shin-chan."

S: "Would you _want_ me to be less suggestive?"

A: "No, not really."

... **(537)**

K: "Obviously the heights were _different_ in this world, then."

R: "Even so, for your _ages_ , such growth would be _expected_."

A: "I'm pretty sure we're _done_ with growing, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "At least _upward_."

E: "I'm sure Shinji wasn't constantly _measuring_ his height."

A: "We don't usually, anyway." She shrugged. "I think the _last_ time we measured heights was a _year_ or so ago."

M: "Do I even _h-have_ a height, anymore?"

R: "I would say the same as _Kaworu's_ height."

K: "I recall you were _taller_ than I was, Mari."

M: "Could p-probably thank my _mother_ for that." An amused note. "Then again, d-doesn't matter _too_ much now."

... **(538)**

E: "You couldn't get a _pen_ or anything?"

A: "The ink probably dried out a year ago."

M: "A few _mixed_ m-messages there, I feel."

A: "Yeah, but I _am_ the master at that."

R: "A rather _intuitive_ means of measuring height, then. Lacking a pen or even a _ruler_."

S: "We'd have _that_ , surely."

K: "Even so, you could simply _compare_ the two marks and see the difference."

A: "A difference I'm _sure_ that version of me wouldn't like."

... **(539)**

S: "I mean, I _might've_ been shorter."

A: "As we said, not something we really _focused_ on."

E: " _She_ certainly focused on that."

M: "Do you even r-really _notice_ such thing?"

R: "I would not _say_ so. Being such a gradual change."

K: "With a _direct comparison_ , it becomes apparent."

A: "And _I_ didn't grow at all." She chuckled. "Though I guess it's alright _you_ get a bit longer, Shin-chan."

E: "Yes I'm sure it'll come in handy at night." She muttered, her exception handlers catching the innuendo.

_Heel_ **(Page 540)**

K: "Ah yes, you'll just wear high heels for the rest of time."

A: "I don't even _like_ high heels!"

E: "It's strange how you even _found_ the high heels, then."

M: "To m-make a point, I imagine."

R: "Or perhaps Pengel wanted to draw more attention to your _legs_."

A: "Fair enough; they _are_ rather nice, if I say so myself. _Shinji_ certainly doesn't mind them."

S: "As with _all_ of you."

Asuka poked her tongue at him. "Either way, not a fan of heels. They _always_ crush your foot and having it at that angle _can't_ be healthy in the long run."

R: "At least _boys_ are lucky enough to _not_ have heels."

A: "I mean, they could if they _wanted_ to."

A flat look from Shinji and Kaworu.

A: "Yeah, knew it."

... **(541)**

R: "Should have _expected_ that."

A: "That's _another_ issue with having your feet elevated like that."

S: "At least it's _only_ a sprain."

E: "I'm sure a broken bone _would_ be an issue in that world."

K: " _Any_ injury that gets you off your feet would be an issue in that world."

M: "Good thing S-Shinji loves her enough to _care_ f-for her."

A: "Oh well, looking on the _bright_ side. It gives Shinji an excuse to mess with my _feet_."

E: "That _blush_ of yours seems to say otherwise."

... **(542)**

K: "As has been said, it can be _difficult_ to notice such subtle change."

R: "Even with those you are _close_ with."

A: "That's a concept _I_ still need to consider, then."

S: "And I _do_ have a point. Not like I _wanted_ to grow."

A: "Ah _I_ don't mind if you grow."

E: "Of _course_ you wouldn't."

M: "It's kinda a-amusing to see you _upset_ you didn't notice t-that, though."

K: "I'm sure Shinji would _forgive_ you for missing such thing."

A: "I probably wouldn't have even _noticed_ it, if not for stacking that shit on a high shelf."

E: "And what if you _need_ that shit on a high shelf?"

A: "Hope we have a stool?"

... **(543)**

M: "You h-haven't already?"

A: "You could debate we left our childhoods at _four years old_."

S: "At least in _that_ sense."

E: "Perhaps you should reconsider your _thoughts_ on Shinji, Asuka."

A: "As I've been _needing_ to do for the past... 543 pages."

R: "You _are_ getting there." She thought with a small smile. "Even a gesture like _this_ would have been considered _unthinkable_ back then."

K: "We know _here_ , we have certainly matured some."

A: "Still children until we reach the age of majority, though."

S: "And Evangelion pilots are _called_ Children regardless."

M: " _I_ always t-thought that was a bit of a strange t-term. At least _without_ the c-context on what makes the Evangelion go."

K: " _With_ context, it makes sense though."

E: "Might have to _update_ this terminology, now we appear to be migrating _away_ from the traditional system."

S: "Helps almost _all_ of the traditional systems are kinda _inoperable_."

... **(544)**

M: "Here l-lies Shinji Ikari."

S: "Yeah I might as well start digging my own grave."

A: "That _was_ rather bold, Shin-chan! _I_ wouldn't mind such a _complement_."

E: " _Her_ , however."

K: "Perhaps _that's_ what Shinji meant by being done growing _upward_."

Asuka took a few more seconds to get it. "You sly dog, Shin-chan!"

R: "The key is to be _subtle_."

S: "Can't call _that_ comment subtle, eh?"

E: "I'm sure even _if_ it was subtle, she would pick up on it anyway."

M: "And throw y-you through a window regardless."

A: "I'm sure he considers that a _small_ price to pay." With a snicker.

... **(545)**

A: " _I_ don't think that was rude."

M: "You're not t-the one armed with a _shoe_."

E: "You could poke an _eye_ out with that."

S: "No regrets."

R: "I am sure she _appreciated_ such a comment, regardless."

K: "A bit less _crassness_ next time may be good."

S: "Should probably _learn_ that, eh?"

E: "A few more boots to the head might teach you."

_The Birth of Shinko_ **(Page 546)**

S: "Ah Gods."

A: "They're not as easy to wear as we make it out, Shin-chan."

R: "Though now is the debate. How far will _Asuka_ take this?"

M: "She described it a-as a _fetish_. She'll take this to the logical _extreme_."

A: "As I'm wont to do, apparently."

E: "Look on the bright side. Maybe Shinji will look _cute_."

K: "Shin _ko_ , in this case."

Shinji couldn't help but blush, presumedly knowing what's about to come.

... **(547)**

M: "Oh my _God_."

Asuka burst out laughing at this _crossdressing._ "Holy _shit_ you look _cute_!"

His blush only increased, as he started ducking down.

K: "I like how Pengel thought to give a _warning_ , in case anyone got the wrong idea."

R: "Do not _gawk_ at Shinko, Kaworu."

K: "I gawk at Shinji _anyway_ , Rei."

E: "Rather _interesting_ how the face still fits."

A: " _Both_ of our faces in this are _pentagons_ anyway, Eliza. Still, wouldn't be _too_ hard, I imagine."

S: "...This is giving you ideas, isn't it."

A: "You bet it is! Maybe we can trick _Misato_ with it."

S: "Or she'll just _laugh_ that I got roped into doing that..."

... **(548)**

E: "And thank the Gods for _that_." As she read the last little phrase of this page.

R: "You do not consider him a rival and yet you are still _rivalling_ against him."

S: "Considering I don't look _amused_ wearing all that."

A: "I reckon I _still_ forced you to do that."

K: "So you could have a _rivalry_? Just like the old days, with you and Rei."

M: "You lot definitely a-aren't rivals _now_."

A: "Ah it's more of a _playful_ rivalry now, eh Wondergirl?"

A slight smirk from the Wondergirl. " _Very_ playful."

... **(549, 550)**

A: "Man how are you so _adorable_ like that, Shin-chan?"

S: "I don't know..."

E: "Are you trying to get some weight in _key areas_ , Asuka?"

A: "Probably." She chuckled. "Even though it doesn't really _work_ like that."

M: "It goes everywhere _b-but_."

S: "And I rather _like_ them as they are."

A: "Yeah, I don't _need_ to do something like that."

R: "If Shinji said that to _that_ Asuka."

K: "Yet another example on how _far_ they have to go."

A: "I think that tsun's _always_ gonna be there, Kaworu. This is probably as good as it's gonna get."

**(Page 551)**

"I still got _that_ , at least."

"You could do as much things as you want, but you shouldn't _forget_ where you came from."

"I don't think we'll _ever_ forget what happened with us, Eliza."

"Helps it involved t-the _end of the w-world_."

"Not many people tend to _forget_ such an event, I would think."

"At least in _first_ generations. I'm sure as time goes on, history fades to legends fades to myths."

"Does it count as forgetting if we just _die out_?"

"I suppose you could write it down somewhere." Kaworu shrugged.

"I got _that_ going, at least."

~~~

** 2.50: That Which Cannot Be Lost **

_Past_ **(Page 552)**

E: "I think we're in the past."

A: "Oh how could you tell, Eliza?"

M: "Wonder w-what you were _looking_ for, Shinji."

R: "It would have been something _significant_ to him."

S: "...That _cross_ of Misato's? It would've been one of the few things I had _left_ after that."

K: "I believe it was attached to a _post_ of some sort. As a _memorial_."

A: "We brought it along, right? I don't think I've _seen it_ for a while, now."

E: " _Shinko_ wore it, though that was in more of an _omake_ sense."

A: "So we might've _lost it_ anyway."

... **(553)**

S: "Seems I _already_ lost it."

R: "We know it was _found_ , at least. Otherwise we would have not _seen_ it back then."

K: "Rather understandable you _want_ to find such thing."

A: "It _is_ the last remnant of Misato we _had_ , after all. It'd be nice to have _something_ of her."

E: "I suppose it _was_ on the beach, wasn't it?"

M: "I'm kinda c-curious how you got it in the first place. Given w-what _happened_."

S: "I don't think _we_ know either, Mari. But we certainly didn't _complain_ about it."

... **(554)**

R: "Keepsakes are not _that_ bad."

A: "Thing is, that's kinda _my_ thoughts. They _can_ be nice, though I'm not too fussed if I don't have any. Didn't have any of _my_ mama." A glance to Shinji. "...Then again, _you're_ a bit different when it comes to that, eh?"

Shinji gave a small nod. "I didn't really have a _choice_ when it came to keepsakes."

E: "At least _there_ , you _have_ a choice to keep something."

M: "Did your d-dad get rid of _everything_ involving your m-mom when she died?"

S: "Yeah. I don't know _why_ , but he got rid of _almost_ everything."

K: "Excluding her _car_."

A: "Probably because that was something _useful_. And they might've had joint ownership of it anyway."

M: "I'm g-guessing you didn't see that, Shinji?"

S: "My father _abandoned_ me a day after my mother _apparently_ died; next time I saw him that _wasn't_ a yearly visit at a graveyard was when he _asked_ me to pilot Unit-01."

Mari looked uneasy. "Jeez, _he's_ c-certainly not winning father of the y-year."

R: "A good thing she got _better_ , after a while."

A: "Good thing her _car_ was still there, as well."

M: "What car _did_ she have, a-anyway? Being... would've been _G-Gehirn_ back then, right? Either w-way, she would've had _something_ decent, s-surely."

R: "Post-Impact Corolla Diesel hybrid."

Mari felt _revulsion_ at that combination of words.

A: "Hey, it's not a _Trabant_."

... **(555)**

K: "It _can_ serve as a reminder of that, as well."

R: "Misato _wanted_ you to survive and _live_ , after all. Perhaps _that_ is what caused you to come around."

S: "Shame I only _realised_ that _after_ I ended the world."

M: "I _still_ don't know h-how that happens."

E: "I'm sure we'll show you the _Laserdiscs_ once we get back."

M: "I'm not s-sure if I _want_ to."

A: "Don't think _any_ of us _wanted_ to, after a bit. But once you _start_ , no point stopping until you get to the _end_. How do you think we got through _Elfen Lied_?"

R: "At least with Elfen Lied, it did not involve _us_. Analogies of us, perhaps, but not _us_."

E: "What if we find a work involving us that's as _problematic_ as Elfen Lied was?"

A: "I mean, we can _say_ we'd go through it, like we've done. And I'm sure we _would_. It might just take longer, when we have to take _day breaks_ from page to page."

S: "Depends how much it screws us over, maybe."

A: "Yeah. And the works _have_ screwed us over; good thing there's always a _light_ at the end of the tunnel."

M: "Let's hope it's n-not a _train_."

... **(556)**

R: "I doubt I would know. Giant heads are not exactly _mobile_ , after all."

K: "Maybe you could _levitate_ with your AT-Field."

E: "And scare the life out of Shinji and Asuka?"

A: "After _everything_ we went through, it'd probably be just another _Tuesday_."

M: "The fact y-you can _say_ that."

S: "We _have_ gone through a lot, during the Angel war. And barely any _breaks_ between Angels."

A: "We'd get a few _weeks_ , at least."

R: "Full of a myriad of _other_ testing. And schooling."

M: "Wouldn't e-exactly _call_ that a break."

A: "I mean, what _would_ we do on a break? We're on our first break in _years_ and we're already running out of things to do!"

E: "Can you ever really _run out_ of things like that?"

A: "Things that are doable for _us_." She clarified. "That'd be reasonable for a bunch of foreign and _unsupervised_ minors to do in the time we have left."

E: "That _would_ narrow things down, fair enough."

_Signpost_ **(Page 557)**

A: "Maybe you _mind controlled_ me to find it, Rei."

R: "I have never _attempted_ to control someone with my AT-Field. Might be _interesting_ , though."

K: "It depends on how _subtle_ the control has to be."

E: "Have _you_ experimented with such thing, Kaworu?"

K: "Not in _this_ timeline, that's for sure."

S: "Can't say of _others_ , though."

K: "As usual." As he attempted to run back through various echos. "Nope, don't recognise such thing."

M: "It'd probably b-be like _Scanners_ anyway."

S: "Is that a _movie_ or something?"

Mari nodded. "Yeah, horror movie from C-Canada. Wasn't e-exactly _control_ but mind _reading_. Either way, it often r-resulted in the person's head _exploding_."

The lot blinked. "Perhaps it's _not_ a good idea to practice such thing, then."

R: "I should find a _Laserdisc_ of that movie."

... **(558)**

E: "Though this raises a question. I thought _Shinji_ put it there."

R: "And if _he_ did not place it there, who did?"

M: "Couldn't have b-been _you_ , being a bit _dead_."

A: "Still _might've_ , in a way. Had to end up there _somehow_."

S: "Either way, we _have_ it now. So... guess I gotta thank _someone_ for it."

K: "God, perhaps."

A: " _Something_ had to show me, unless I had a really lucky _hunch_."

R: "I feel you could attribute a hunch to _that_."

... **(559)**

K: "For being in the past, you are being _remarkably_ civil with him."

A: "I just stole his keepsake."

M: "You _did_ keep it s-safe, I guess."

E: "I haven't seen you wear it for a short while, myself."

R: "Perhaps you lost it in _Kazakhstan_."

A: "Wouldn't be the _first_ time I screwed that up."

S: "I mean, I haven't really brought it up, have I? So I don't think I'm _too_ fussed with that, at least _now_."

A: "Still, it wouldn't be great to _lose_ something like that, Shinji. Being one of the _last_ remnants of our _guardian_. And I bet I _have_ lost it."

... **(560)**

M: "Could say _we_ h-had our fill of depression, as w-well."

K: "I believe _Pengel_ has, as well."

A: "I _prefer_ the happy stuff, anyway."

E: " _Anyone_ would prefer the happy stuff, I'd think."

R: "What if you were _Goth_."

M: "I d-didn't even know you _knew_ of such thing."

S: " _I_ certainly don't know about whatever that is."

A: "Even then, I'd think that was more an _ironic_ thing."

K: "Doing something ironically is still _doing it_." He pointed out. "At least _here_ , we can see a bit _more_ of the beginning of your relationship."

A: "I'm sure I wasn't _that_ amicable with him, back then."

... **(561)**

A: "I knew it!"

M: "Where _would_ it b-be, you think?"

E: "Anywhere between Japan and Germany."

A: "Well fat chance ever _finding_ it again, then."

S: "It's not a big deal." He shrugged. "The fact I haven't brought it up says that, at least."

R: "I am sure _Asuka_ would be feeling bad at breaking that promise to you, though."

A: "I _would_. I don't like backing down on promises."

K: "I doubt many people do. And yet, sometimes you _have_ to."

A: "Like in _this_ situation right here. Unless I could find a _replica_ somewhere."

R: "Considering her cross was inherited from her _father_ , I doubt it exists elsewhere."

A: "Dang it."

_Omake_ **(Page 562)**

A: "Oh _nevermind_!"

Giggling all around. "Looks like you worked yourself up over nothing."

M: "At least y-you look kinda _cute_ on that cross."

R: "I like how you essentially claimed it as your _own_."

E: "Even with the _greater_ significance it would have with Shinji."

A: "And _other_ mistakes I make." She huffed. "At least you _found_ it again, Shinji."

S: "At _this_ point, I'm convinced there's a _beacon_ of some sort in it."

K: "How do you think Asuka _found_ it to start?"

M: "I wouldn't t-think that was a _hall_ she found it in."

E: "A slip of the tongue on account of her being _relieved_. Though I'm not sure where the _red and blue_ come into play."

R: "Could be an analogy of the _tsun_. They run hot _and_ cold."

A: " _That_ me runs more hot than cold."

... **(563)**

M: "Yeah that _is_ a-as horrifying as they suggested."

R: "All the more that I am _half_ a giant head."

K: "Half heads tend to be pretty _dead_ , last time I checked."

E: "Might have something to do with the whole _cut in half_ thing."

A: "Maybe she did it just to get us riled up."

R: "I can see that." With an amused huff.

S: "What about _floating_?"

R: "Perhaps. Depends how _living_ I am."

K: "Then again, _anything_ is possible in an omake. That's why they're _omake_ ; it'd be a strange life if we were thrust into strange situations on a daily basis."

M: "Reading or w-watching stuff from other u-universes doesn't count as strange on the d-daily?"

K: "Fair enough."

~~~

** 2.51: The Love Within A Kiss **

_May I touch them again?_ **(Page 564)**

M: "There's p-probably a bit of _context_ to those w-words I'm missing."

R: "I would think so."

S: "And we know what _that_ me did."

A: "Not that _I_ know, at least."

M: "Is it s-something _I_ should know?"

E: "I'd think they'd want you to wait until you see for yourself."

S: "Can't exactly call it a _good_ thing I did..."

K: "Would _she_ be remembering that? Or _another_ memory involving hands?"

A: "I mean, Shinji _was_ strangling me at the end of the Laserdiscs. Could be something related to _that_."

R: "Either way, may be a good idea for you to _cheer him up_ , Asuka."

A: "I _hope_ I would, after all he's helped _me_."

... **(565)**

K: "I always found it fascinating how you could interpret such thing from something so seemingly _minor_."

E: "Not that it'd be _accurate_."

R: "It has happened enough that people _believe_ it to be accurate. Correlation does not necessarily equal causation, but it is the nature of man to have an _explanation_ for things we cannot explain."

M: "That's p-probably how _religion_ as a c-concept started."

A: "I don't even _know_ how to palm read."

S: "I didn't think you were _into_ that kinda thing, Asuka."

A: "After I was kinda _screwed over_ by everything, it's kinda understandable I don't believe that." She huffed.

K: "At the very least, you noticed his _melancholy_."

A: "Yeah, _that's_ not some palm reading bullshit, that's just reading his emotion. I'd hope I was _good_ at that, at _this_ point."

... **(566)**

E: "How lewd."

A: "It's just _handholding_!"

R: "I would bet it moved to something _more_ than that, but that would be a fool's bet."

M: "That's _definitely_ s-something you wouldn't have d-done _earlier_."

A: "Good thing I'm doing it _now_. Shows how _close_ I am to him, eh?"

S: "I know that's something _we_ do, sometimes."

K: "In the bedroom, I'm sure."

E: "They're the only two people left on Earth. _Anywhere_ is a bedroom."

A: "I mean, I'd want it to be _comfortable._ Wouldn't do it on _concrete_ or anything."

S: "Even _if_ there was no one else, I'm not sure if I _would_ be comfortable doing it somewhere that _isn't_ private."

M: "You two c-could do it in the middle of a _stadium_ and it'd s-still be considered private."

R: "It is all in the _perception_ , I would think. A bedroom would still be considered more private than a _stadium,_ for example."

A: "It'd be pretty _entertaining_ , at least."

... **(567)**

Mari couldn't help but snicker at Asuka's innuendo. "Yes I'm sure h-his hand is _wonderful_."

A: "Oh it _is_." With a sly smirk. "A good asset of _any_ man, eh Shin-chan?"

S: "It's certainly a _workout_."

E: "Or perhaps it was more _hard labour_ than anything sexual."

K: "It's sexual."

R: "And you could debate it was _hard labour_ for the man."

Eliza rolled her eyes. "So how will _Shinji_ read you're palm?"

S: "In the dark, cause _I_ don't know how to do that."

A: "You could just _bullshit_. Not like _I'd_ probably pick up on it."

_Lip_ **(Page 568)**

E: "Ah, reading it with your _lips_?"

M: "That's not a t-technique I _know_ of."

R: "While that _is_ a sign of respect, that _is_ a bit of a... _charged_ way of doing it."

A: "Not that _I_ mind."

S: "Maybe I should _try_ it sometime." He snickered.

A: "And you read my palm right enough, as well!"

K: "The fact she didn't throw you through a window when you said that is _amazing_."

A: "If I didn't do it _then_ , I would've done it after he kissed my _hand_ like that."

E: "And yet, he _still_ fell in love with your hands."

A: "I mean, I _am_ pretty good with them, if I say so myself."

Eliza looked unamused.

... **(569)**

M: "Just running the f-full gambit of kisses, now?"

A: "The _eye_?!"

R: "Never thought of that as a _yearning_ kiss."

K: "That'd be the _neck_ , wouldn't it?"

A: " _I_ consider it the neck. I _like_ kissing but _eyes_ seem a bit _out of bounds_ , eh Shinji?"

S: "At least it wasn't an _open_ eye."

E: "That's just getting into _fetish_ territory, I feel. Then again, I didn't know about the _palm_ kiss, as well."

A: "If I _want_ a kiss, I'll just _kiss_." With a chuckle. "Don't need to _request_ it."

R: "Though perhaps you should have asked before going for the _eye_. At least judging by Shinji's _facial expression_."

... **(570)**

K: "We can't discount _that_. It _did_ help cheer you up some, Shinji."

S: "As it does." With a soft smile.

A: "Nothing like _companionship_ , eh Shinji? Though I imagine _I'd_ find all that kissing embarrassing, as well."

E: "I thought you would've kissed _everywhere_ at this point."

A: "Pfft, we're not _that_ over the top."

R: "You _appear_ to be."

A: "We're like _fireworks_ to you, Rei. Of _course_ it seem like that."

M: "Not that _y-you'd_ mind, eh Rei?"

R: "Not at all."

... **(571)**

E: "Isn't desiring just _yearning_?"

K: "It's a _subtle_ difference, admittedly, but _yearning_ is often used for seemingly _excess_ periods of time."

R: "Then again, you could just call it _desire_."

A: "So what was the point of the _eyeball kiss_?"

M: "Riling y-you up, perhaps."

S: "It's kinda a shame we didn't get around to _that_ kind of kiss, though."

A: "That's for the _stadium_ , Shin-chan!"

**(Page 572, 573)**

"At least Pengel knows how to _dress_ me."

"When he wants to."

"Once again, I'm a-assuming that you're _listening_ to that song."

"We probably _are_ , having that... is that a _MiniDisc_ player?"

"Bit better than _SDAT_ , eh Shinji?"

"Not that I've even _touched_ my SDAT for... well, _years_ now." An amused huff. "Only had one tape for it, anyway."

"Maybe you two can bug Misato to get a _stereo_ of some sort."

"Do _you two_ have things like that, in your apartment?"

"I"m pretty sure they _do_ ; they got a few decent _speakers_ around, at least."

"And we didn't pay a thing for it. Kensuke offered it to us, knowing we're one for a good movie."

"And probably cause he had to _make room_ for some things, as well."

"Most likely." Thought Rei. "Either way, good for _us_. Though I believe _our_ audio system uses _CDs_ instead of cassettes."

"I'm p-pretty sure CDs are better than pretty much _any_ c-cassette format, anyway."

" _Digital_ cassettes, like the SDAT, are of decent quality. However, disc based mediums would usually have a higher audio quality purely because the medium can hold _more_ than a standard cassette, digital or not."

"Least you guys a-aren't obsessed with _vinyl_."

"People still use vinyl records?" Queried Asuka?"

"It's all about the _sound_. You might know, Asuka. Digital mediums are... well, _data_." Began Kaworu. "An _analog_ medium like vinyl, something where the sound is _physically_ recorded, has a distinct sound to it."

"...Eh I _guess_ in that sense, some people _might_ prefer the more analog sound." Asuka shrugged. "Though I thought vinyls fell off once CDs became a thing."

"I still see them sold whenever I go shopping for Laserdiscs." Rei spoke. "We do not _have_ a vinyl player, so we have not bought any."

"I'm sure we'll be considering it _now_."

"You bet, Fish."

~~~

** 2.52: Asuka, Silent **

_Play_ **(Page 574)**

E: "I wonder what sense this _play_ is." Her wry intonation indicated she knew _exactly_ what sense this was.

A: "We know where he _got_ that sorta stuff from, at least."

S: "I'm not sure whether I should _debate_ some of the stuff in that book."

M: "I'm sure _some_ c-cultures might kiss the eye. Lord knows _I_ n-never heard of such thing in _America_ , though."

R: "Either way, you have been reading it quite a _bit_ , Shinji."

S: "Gotta read _something_. Might as well _improve_ my skills."

K: "That's a way of putting it. I wonder if _Asuka_ will buy that."

A: "I seem _amused_ by it, at least. And if it wasn't _apparent_ , I'm in a pretty good mood at the moment."

E: "That _would_ moderate your tsun, I would think."

... **(575)**

E: "...Perhaps _too_ _much_ moderation."

A: "No, no. I _need_ to realise that."

M: "You hadn't a-already?"

A: "Not to _my_ extent. I _really_ need to just up and _tell_ you how I really feel, Shinji. No masks or _anything_."

S: "Just like _our_ world."

A: "Yeah. Just like _our_ world."

K: "You _realise_ it, at least. Even if you don't _immediately_ do such thing, you know you _need_ to do such thing."

R: "In your own time. Shinji has said _his_ feelings rather clearly, I would think."

A: "Seems like trying to break through _her_ tsun is like trying to break through a _brick wall_."

M: "Not like y-you're the _Kool-Aid man_ , as well."

A: "Heh, I'm probably as _red_ as him."

... **(576)**

S: "Foiled again."

Asuka snickered. "How'd you even _find_ that sorta thing in _Germany_?"

E: "Maybe he smuggled it from _Japan_."

M: "And k-kept it hidden from _Asuka_ for over a _year_?"

R: "Either way, I can see _why_ you were not talking to him, Asuka."

A: "Yeah I probably thought it a _slight_ against me. Why would he look at _porn_ instead of _me_?"

K: "I doubt _our_ Shinji would do such thing."

S: "I don't think I even _saw_ pornography until _you_ showed me, Asuka."

M: " _You_ showed h-him?"

The candle chuckled. "Even then, it wasn't _magazines_. It was on the _Internet_. Easier to find being _young_. Still, didn't really do much for you, eh Shinji?"

Shinji shrugged. "Never really _interested_ me to begin with, honestly."

E: "I'm sure _already_ having someone willing helped with that."

M: "A bit of _variety_ w-wouldn't hurt, I'd think."

A: " _That_ version of me certainly doesn't think that."

**(Page 577, 578)**

"Is _this_ the variety you want?"

"I mean, it's just _me_ again. Shinji's seen that _plenty_ of times."

"Any idea what that _date_ means?"

"The 20th anniversary of the _Laserdiscs_?"

"I thought the dates on that was 1995 to 1998."

"Running back from 2004, it would put the year at _1984_."

"I know _three_ people who were born in 84, but I don't think that _date_ specifically."

"It distracted us from the _fanservice_ , at least." As they turned to the next page.

"What's the _point_ of schooling if it's only _you two_?"

"Fanservice." Asuka muttered. "Sounds like we might be _separating_ for a bit, though."

"And yet, it will be _temporary_."

"If _Pengel's_ anyone to go by."

~~~

** 2.53: The Lonely Dreamer **

_Leave_ **(Page 579)**

A: "Well it looks like I _am_ leaving."

E: "Maybe a _test_ for Shinji?"

S: "Seeing if I go to _find_ you?"

M: "Depends if she l-left a _note_. Maybe it's to find _s-something_."

K: "Or maybe it _is_ a test."

A: "Probably, considering I _like_ doing that kinda thing."

... **(580)**

R: "You certainly chose a _vehicle_ for it."

A: "A fucking _Vespa_!"

S: "Would've been quieter than a _car_ , at least."

E: "That's probably why you _slept in_."

A: "Yeah, I wouldn't want him to see me driving something like _that_."

M: "I don't t-think they're _that_ bad, especially for being _Italian_. You saw them all the time in places like _California_."

K: "I've only seen those types of scooters in _Europe_. Not in Japan."

R: "The big three Japanese motorbike manufacturers _do_ tend to focus on regular motorbikes instead of scooters, I noticed."

A: "That's kinda _strange_ for Japan, wouldn't the more _smaller_ and _city focused_ ones be better selling?"

S: "Public transport's good enough for the city. Or a _regular_ bicycle."

R: "I imagine a motorbike would not be the most _useful_ vehicle for the average salaryman, as well."

A: "At least in _our_ case, as long as we can find something to hold _both of us_ , it's good enough."

E: "Though good luck carrying any large _cargo_."

... **(581)**

S: "I'll find out soon enough, that's for sure."

M: "Could do the s-same _technique_ you did in that _omake_."

R: "Perhaps that was _foreshadowing_ something."

A: "I still don't know _why_ I'd do something like that. It'd cause _me_ to suffer, as well."

E: "Maybe it'll _convince_ your tsun self to actually _say something_ to Shinji."

K: "It won't take too long before you _both_ start yearning for one another, that's for sure."

A: "Though _I_ have a feeling _Shinji_ will take it better than _I_ will."

... **(582)**

S: "...Y'know, that's a fair enough reason to leave."

A: " _I_ would've wanted to bring _you_ to see it, though."

M: " _Did_ your m-mom have a summer house?"

Asuka shook her head. "A _winter_ house, yes. Not a _summer_ house."

Mari shrugged. "Close e-enough."

R: "It does not seem _too_ far away from the Colony, at the very least."

A: "I could get to it on a _Vespa_ so it's probably only a couple kilometres away."

K: "It'd be fun for _you_ , at least."

A: "Maybe she considers it a small _vacation_ or something."

S: "Maybe _I_ can consider it a small vacation as well." He wryly replied.

... **(583)**

R: "You will not last a _month_."

A: "I'd be surprised if I lasted a _week_ away from Shinji."

M: "Shinji s-seems more _dejected_ than anything."

A: "It wouldn't be the _first_ time I hurt his feelings like that."

E: "At least you're taking this in stride, Shinji."

S: "I _know_ she'll be back. And she's smart enough to _not_ get herself killed."

A: "I wasn't even wearing a _helmet_ on that scooter; _that_ seems pretty dumb."

K: "Surely finding the helmet would've been _easy_ , if you found the Vespa."

R: "Unless the person who _previously_ owned the Vespa neglected such thing, as well."

A: "If they _didn't_ have a helmet, then they were rather lucky the world ended because the _Polizei_ found them out."

M: "Good thing l-law enforcement doesn't _exist_ in t-that world."

S: "I'm sure _I_ would've chewed you out for such thing."

A: "Oh I _know_ you would've."

_First Day_ **(Page 584)**

M: "Well, you're _both_ e-enjoying this, I suppose."

E: "Sounds like Asuka is _already_ starting to think she should go back, though."

A: "The fact I'm saying I _don't_ want to go back says that enough."

K: "Ah, trying to convince _yourself_?"

R: "Even though you _are_ a couple. You _have_ to be, after all."

S: "At least _I'm_ taking this well."

A: "As I _thought_ you would, Shin-chan! Not having me constantly _berating_ you and breathing down your neck."

R: "A vacation is nice every once in a while."

... **(585)**

A: "I'm _still_ reliant on you for that."

R: "Perhaps you should have _thought_ about that, before you left."

M: "Have y-you cooked in this?"

A: "I don't _think_ so; I probably see it as _beneath_ me."

S: "Not beneath _me_ , of course."

K: "But this _does_ leave you without the skills to actually... well, _survive_."

E: "I'm sure she can _manage_. Even if she has to make do on tinned beans or other base foods."

A: "Not that I'd _like_ that."

R: "Well, if you did _not_ want to make your own dinner, I am sure _Shinji_ would be happy to. Should you come back."

A: "Depends how _desperate_ I am for good food."

... **(586)**

M: "I'm s-surprised you're even _wearing_ something w-while swimming."

A: "You'd just do it _nude_ , I'm guessing."

M: "You might as _w-well_. No one's gonna _perv_ o-on you."

A: "Heh, _I'd_ probably do that."

E: "Do you think the water will help put your mind at ease?"

R: "It tends to do that, I find."

S: "Then again, that might just get you thinking you'd want to _show_ me."

K: "She wouldn't _say_ that."

A: "And if I caught you _perving_ on me swimming, I'd probably throw you in the drink myself." With a chuckle. "Even if I wouldn't _mind_ such thing."

... **(587)**

R: "Not the _greatest_ thoughts, I would think."

E: "I'd say this resulted in the _opposite_ effect."

S: "I'd probably just sit on the shore, myself."

A: "Ah I know _you_ can swim."

K: "And we know from _Wolk's_ work, he _could_ save you if push came to shove."

M: "You d-didn't know how to _swim_ , Shinji?"

He shrugged in reply. "Was never _taught_ , honestly. My parents obviously weren't around, and I don't think my sensei even _thought_ about it."

A: "Good thing _I_ taught you then, eh Shin-chan?"

... **(588)**

E: "You _are_ eating tinned foods."

A: "Not exactly _gourmet_ , isn't it."

R: "At least it is not _dog food_."

M: "She hasn't r-reached _Max's_ levels of d-desperation."

K: "Of course, there _is_ a master chef a scooter ride away."

S: "Oh I'm not _that_ great."

A: "You're better than _all_ of us, Shinji." With a smile. "Easy to tell I'm _still_ obsessed with you, eh?"

R: "For this being a vacation _away_ from Shinji, you are certainly _thinking_ about him a lot."

A: "It's almost like I can't function _without_ him. At least Pengel got _that_ part of me right."

... **(589)**

K: "Now it's a question on how you'll _sleep_."

A: "Like _shit_ , I bet."

M: "Reliant on Shinji e-even for _that_?"

R: "It _is_ rather nice having someone to share a bed with. It can be difficult to go _without_ such thing."

S: "Even though we _have to_ , sometimes."

A: "That's just part and parcel of being _Evangelion pilots_ , though."

E: "At least while piloting, you can still _communicate_. In this, you are rather _isolated_ from one another."

K: "That's what tends to get us through piloting."

A: "That, and the thought that if we _win_ , we can go back to being all _magnetic_ with each other."

M: "And if y-you _don't_ win?"

A: "Well, it stops being a _problem_ for us then, eh?" She grimly mused.

_Second Day_ **(Page 590)**

A: "Knew it." She flatly muttered.

E: "And Shinji slept soundly. Of course."

K: "Rather ironic that this was _your_ idea, Asuka."

A: "And it's come back to bite me, I'm a real _genius_ right there."

R: "As has been said, perhaps this will _convince_ you to tell Shinji how much he _means_ to you."

M: "Or you'll k-keep it buried."

A: "Like usual."

S: "But as we _also_ said. You'll eventually come around."

E: "If anything, we're running out of _pages_ in this doujin. I'm sure it'll happen _soon_."

R: "Perhaps in a hundred pages from now."

A: " _Joy_."

... **(591)**

R: "And you are _already_ imagining me in your head."

A: " _That's_ a new record."

K: "It could also _actually_ be you."

E: "I thought Rei could only do that in _omake_."

M: "As f-far as _we_ know."

A: "At least _Shinji's_ doing all well and good."

S: "Gardening _can_ be calming. And I'm sure we'd be doing a _lot_ of it in a post-apocalyptic world."

R: "You did so in _Wolk's_ work."

K: "It helps you have to mostly _grow_ your own produce."

A: "Something _Pengel_ hasn't exactly _focused_ on."

... **(592)**

A: "I mean, I can still _say_ it, and it'd _still_ be special."

M: "See, I dunno if t-that's _actually_ you, Rei."

R: "It is often difficult to tell."

E: "I'm rather surprised you're wearing that _dress_ , sis."

R: "It does not look _that_ bad on me."

S: "I think she was expecting you in something _else_."

E: "You didn't have much _variety_ in clothing back then, after all."

K: "What options are there? School wear, plugsuit, and _nothing at all_."

R: "If I wore _nothing,_ Asuka would call me perverted and not listen to anything I said."

A: "If I went on at you, you could just snap your fingers and turn me into _Fanta_ anyway."

S: "You'd probably listen after _that_."

M: "She _what_?"

A: "Yeah, she can do that." With a chuckle. "Maybe if we're lucky, we'll get mugged. That way she can _show you_."

... **(593)**

A: "And you're _right_ ; why _do_ I feel scared to admit my love to Shinji?"

R: "Because you _still_ fear you will be rejected."

K: "You could call that a root cause of your _tsun_. Better to drive someone away _first_."

Asuka sighed. "Yeah, that's pretty much _why_ I was like that. But it didn't take _me_ long to learn that was a _really_ bad way of going about life."

E: "And yet, there is _still_ a part of you that feels that way. Even _if_ it feels irrational."

S: "I'm definitely not gonna _abandon_ you _now_ , Asuka."

A: "I know _that_. I just gotta hope _she_ does."

M: "She _will_ , I'm s-sure. Even if Shinji has to _hammer_ it in y-you."

A: "And we know he _has_ been hammering it in me. Not that it apparently _worked_ for her."

R: "Maybe my somewhat _softer_ touch will help."

... **(594)**

K: "You're crying because you know it's _true_."

A: "That probably _was_ you, Rei."

R: "Talking you back to your senses, maybe."

E: "As a friend should do."

S: "Well, we know Rei _wanted_ us to be together. So maybe she's just trying to keep _that_ going."

M: "Shame s-she couldn't do _much_ , in a d-dream."

A: "I think she did good enough, Mari. She got me _crying_ about it, that's for sure."

K: "And on the _second_ night, as well."

A: "Didn't take long for me to _collapse_ without Shinji, eh? Thing is, that's probably true _here_ , as well."

S: "At least _here_ , you have the advantage of having _others_ to support you."

A: "I _also_ don't have that Godforsaken _tsundere_ I have in _that_ work. _That's_ the main issue, if it weren't for that, this would've been solved _four hundred pages ago_."

R: "But then we would not have a _story_." Rei wryly thought.

... **(595)**

A: "At least I'm _finally_ realising that. Yes, maybe I _should_ stay with the boy I love."

M: "And maybe y-you _should_ throw down your w-walls with them."

K: "We know with _Wolk's_ work, it'd often take a significant event to _progress_ you, so to speak."

A: "Thing is, I _have_ had significant events like that in _this_ doujin. And I barely changed!"

R: "You _did_. It was a more _gradual_ change."

E: "I think _this_ will cause more _rapid_ change, though. You've finally _unbottled_ those feelings."

A: "Hopefully I won't _immediately_ go backwards."

S: "I wouldn't think you would, Asuka."

R: "Even if you _appeared_ to go backwards, those feelings you had would _stay_. For you to use in your own time."

... **(596)**

M: "It s-sure _looks_ like you want to open up t-to him."

A: "It's whether I _actually_ do, or not. Instead of just _running_ or _berating_ him."

S: "I'll still love you, so don't worry."

E: "And Asuka _still_ loves you too, even if she can't _say_ it."

K: "So much for going a _month_ , then."

A: "I didn't even last a _week_ , Kaworu."

R: "Would you be _flattered_ by the fact Shinji thought to try _finding_ you?"

A: "Depends how much _character development_ Pengel decided to give me with that little cry I had."

_Third Day_ **(Page 597)**

A: "Yes that _is_ what I should be doing!"

E: "If you mean going _back_ to Shinji, and not running _further_."

M: "With h-how she went _last night_ , why _w-would_ she run away?"

A: "Because Pengel has clearly established me as so _crippled_ emotionally I try to _run_ from people trying to help me."

K: "Akin to the _Laserdiscs_."

S: "That's probably the _point_."

A: "Yeah, it's been a year with Shinji and I'm _still_ like that!"

R: "Pengel does a good job at _frustrating_ you, it seems."

A: "They have a _knack_ for that, don't they?"

... **(598)**

E: "If anything, he handled it _remarkably better_ than you did."

S: "Then again, we didn't see _much_ of my time alone."

A: "Never know, eh?"

M: "I sense a b-bit of _projection_ , Asuka."

R: "Either way, a good thing _Shinji_ is approaching right now."

A: "...He _is_?"

K: "Who _else_ could be riding a scooter of their own towards you?"

A: "Oh, right. Well, I'd _hope_ I'd have a good reaction to that, but I probably _won't_."

... **(599)**

A: "Eeyup, I'm right back to square _one_."

R: "At least on the _surface_."

M: "The s-surface is all Shinji can _see_ , after all."

S: "I think I'm _good_ at reading a bit deeper into you, Asuka."

A: "We probably wouldn't _be_ here if you weren't."

E: "It's rather _fascinating_ you can remain this amicable towards her, despite her attitude."

K: "Not that she was _ever_ like this, even _before_ I arrived. From what it _sounds_ , at least."

A: "You saw my _Laserdisc_ self, right? We're pretty much _identical_ until that _kiss_ of ours. You _know_ I wasn't _that_ bad to Shinji."

S: "I'm sure _Toji_ would say something else of back then."

A: "Yeah, well it's his own fault he _offered_ his family jewels to my _foot_."

... **(600)**

R: "I doubt you would _leave_."

A: "Even if just because I can't _cook_."

K: "Ah, maybe his _skills_ in cooking will keep you around, _despite_ your tsun."

E: "It _has_ worked so far."

S: "Don't think _anyone_ here would prefer eating tinned foods."

M: "Even _military r-rations_ aren't in tins anymore."

A: "Military rations would be a _good_ thing to find; they keep for _ages_ and they're already packed for easy enough transport. We just have to find a _barracks_ or something."

R: "And with the presence of the _Colony_ , you would not _need_ to find such foods."

K: "Maybe the Colony _has_ rations like that, as backups."

A: "Now it's whether _she'd_ eat them or not."

E: "If you _had_ to in order to survive, I'm sure she _would_."

... **(601)**

K: "Running in the same direction _to_ Shinji?"

A: "At least I'm not running _away_. Even if I'm _still_ saying those words to him."

R: "It is _progress_."

M: "I'm s-sure all _that_ would've done _something_ to you, A-Asuka."

A: "You'd _hope_ , eh?"

E: "Depends if those _Vespas_ can get you there."

Asuka chuckled slightly. "The fact they're running _at all_ is a miracle."

S: "This work _does_ seem to be full of miracles, at least."

A: "Yeah, and the miracle I'm holding out for is the one where I _finally_ confess all to you."

R: "We do not have many pages left, by my count. It will happen _soon_ or it will _not_ happen."

A: "It _better_ happen, if Pengel knows what's good for them."

_Shock_ **(Page 602, 603)**

The lot couldn't help but chuckle at the reason Asuka left a _fifth_ time.

K: "Oh it's not _that_ bad."

A: "Not to _me_."

R: "Considering we were the ones _encouraging_ such thing."

E: "Thing is, it wouldn't have even _happened_. It's much like looking at _this_ work; it may have happened in _another_ universe."

S: "Not that _she_ differentiated."

A: "And after all that _crying_ I did, as well."

M: "At least t-that's more an _omake_ , than anything."

A: "Got _that_ going for me, at least."

~

**STOP 604, 605**

"I imagine this is where the next section starts."

"Probably the best time to take a _break_ then, eh?"

"Indeed." Rei confirmed to Asuka.

"Good, now _before_ we forget." As she got up. "We need to go _shopping_."

"Anything in particular?"

Asuka shook her head. "Just _groceries_. Maybe some other stuff if we can find it."

"It won't _just_ be groceries, will it."

"We _are_ w-women, Eliza." Mari chuckled.

"Oi, _I_ can moderate my shopping when I _need_ to."

* * *

## 3\. Train

It was the end of another school week for Toji and Hikari. Often they'd just spend their time together, doing as teenagers were won't to do.

Sitting in a train carriage on a trip to the Geofront was _not_ considered what teenagers were wont to do, but it was a frequent enough event for Hikari all the same. "Might have'ta get _used_ to riding this, eh?" As he tried livening up the current mood.

Hikari only gave a half hearted laugh, head on his shoulder.

"...Y'know, _you_ seem more nervous about this than _I_ am."

"Oh it's just thrusting my boyfriend into _danger_ knowing _full well_ what could happen to them."

"It's _my_ decision as well, y'know." A soft attempt at comfort. "Plus, if it means _I_ could protect you for once."

"I'd _still_ be protecting you."

"Well, _now_ it'd be a more _mutual_ thing." With a short chuckle. "And hey, I'm sure I'll go better than you said. That was more the _Angel's_ fault, wasn't it? Not like _they're_ coming back anytime soon."

She sprung up to look at him with half concern and half annoyance. "You better not _jinx_ anything, Toj!"

"And _how_ would the Angels return? Even the _public statements_ said they were dead and gone."

"I... don't know. But you _know_ the public statements are-"

"Bullcrap, yeah I know. I'm not _that_ much of a dunce." He briefly chuckled. "Though still, there hasn't been an Angel for _ages_ now. I'd say we should be more worried about those weird Evangelion things Seele throws at us. And _they_ seem easy enough."

"You do know _last_ time they attacked, they _stole_ my Evangelion."

"Well, _you're_ still good. From what it sounds, your _mum's_ still good as well."

"...Yeah." She settled back into him. "I... I'm sure you'll be alright."

They watched the sights pass in relative quiet, the only sounds being the given rattle of the train as it descended down the Geofront.

"Hey, Hikari?"

"Yeah?"

"Y'know how your mum ended up in the Evangelion, even though she... well, _died_." Softly spoken, his melancholy all too apparent. "D'ya reckon that would've been the same for _me_ , as well?"

More silence, as Hikari tried coming up with an answer.

"...I really should wait until you become a pilot. But... I wouldn't get your hopes up."

* * *


	7. After 07

* * *

## 1\. Test Drive

The hands of Toji gripped tight onto the butterfly controls as he looked out at the simulated cityscape, roads running red with the blood of an unfortunate Sachiel. _"Well_ that _went well."_ Mused Hiro, over the radio. _"Never thought a crowbar could do_ that _."_

_"I still can't believe you two convinced Ritsuko to code that in."_ Muttered the Commander over the line. _"And that it_ worked _."_

_"The wonders of a computer simulation."_ Sighed Ritsuko. _"Gave Kensuke a workout coding it, at least."_

_"I'm guessing I shouldn't code in a gravity gun?"_

_"Wait until_ Half Life 2 _comes through the Rift, at least."_

Toji had mostly tuned out of the conversation going on, instead focusing on just catching his breath after the fourth Angel fight of the day.

_'Really_ did _went well, eh?'_

"You can say _that_ again, Hikari." Before he gave a slightly airy chuckle. "Didn't end up _dead_ , at least."

_'Always a positive, I feel.'_ Her amusement was evident over the mental link she shared.

Indeed it _was_ a positive, with all the previous fights ending in _failure_. As was to be expected, for a green pilot.

_'You alright there, Toj?'_

"Yeah, just... yeah, I'm good. Just a bit of _exercise_ eh?"

_'I'm in your mind, Toj. Those worries are_ perfectly natural _.'_

He seemed to realise. "...Right, the mental link thing."

_'I'm here to_ protect _you, Toj. And you can rest easy knowing I'd do_ anything _to keep you safe.'_

"...Thanks."

His radio keyed in. _"Not bad, Suzuhara."_ Praised Misato. _"You're starting to get the hang of this whole_ teamwork _thing, ain't ya?"_

"Sure _looks_ like it."

_"Well, be prepared to throw all that_ out the window _for the next round."_

The landscape changed; what was once a simulated landscape of Tokyo-3 was now a large round field of green grass and rolling hills. _"We're having a good ol' fashioned_ duel _!"_

Toji swore he could hear the Subcommander facepalming in his radio. _"So... I face off with_ them _?"_

_"I'm sure you'll be fine, Toji."_ Quelled Hiro. _"We've only had at most a_ month _of training with the Evangelion, after all."_

"You literally just _crowbarred_ an Angel to death."

_"Can't deny it'll be_ entertaining _."_ Spoke Kensuke, over the radio.

"Ken?"

_"Yeah?"_

" _Shut up_."

_"Alright, let the games begin!"_ Misato announced, akin to a Roman emperor presiding over a gladiator match.

_'Ready, Toj?'_

He unsheathed the progressive knife, comfortably positioning it in his right hand. "Yeah. I'm ready."

The prototypical NT-Unit-01, piloted by Toji and Hikari, charged the somewhat more developed NT-Unit-00.

Hiro and Zero Two defeated their quarry in ten seconds flat. "...Ow."

_"Get yourselves up, Suzuhara."_ Commanded the Subcommander. _"We'll keep going until you defeat them."_

This was going to be a long night.

~

While she didn't exactly _specialise_ in computers, Carmen knew enough to aid in her seemingly never-ending quest against Seele.

...At least _usually_. "Hast du Glück damit?"

("You have any luck with that?")

Randall shook his head. "Magi konnte nichts finden, außer dem, was die _Boulevardzeitungen_ sagen."

("Magi come up with nothing other than what the _tabloids_ say.")

Carmen scoffed. "Wenn ich Kleiner mit _News of the World_ als Informationsquelle ankomme, er wird mich aus Deutschland herauslachen."

("I go to Kleiner with _News of the World_ as my source of intel, he'll laugh me out of Germany.")

"Du hast _Men in Black_ gesehen, richtig?"

("You've seen _Men in Black,_ right?")

Before there was a chuckle. "Es würde mich nicht _überraschen_ , wenn diese Boulevardzeitungen irgendwas über Seele in sich hätten."

("It wouldn't _surprise_ me if those tabloids had Seele in them, somewhere.")

A thud thrust them both out of their thoughts, Carmen turning to the source. "Was _jetzt_ , Klein-"

("What _now_ , Klein-")

Nothing was there.

Carmen responded to this as most people would, by getting her pistol out.

"Du bist in letzter Zeit wirklich nervös, weißt du."

("You're _really_ jumpy lately, you know.")

She seemed to realise this herself, dropping the pistol on the table. "Ja, das ist es, was es wohl bedeutet, von einem Bombenanschlag erwischt zu werden."

("Yeah, that's what getting caught in a bombing does, I suppose.") With a sigh. "Aber was war das denn für ein Geräusch?"

("But what _was_ that sound, then?")

"Hört sich fast so an, als wäre etwas gefallen."

("Almost sounded like something _fell._ ") Remarked the only other person in the room, as he scanned. ("... _Das_ sieht anders aus.")

("... _That_ looks different.")

Tracking where he was currently pointing, Carmen found her quarry.

"...Was zum Teufel?"

("...What the hell?")

It looked like a VHS case that went on a diet, which she would certainly hope _one_ of the characters on the cover would go on before they had a heart attack. "Mecha Earth Guard Attack System."

"Ich vermute, es ist ein _Anime_ , basierend auf diesem Englisch."

("I'm guessing it's an _anime_ , based on that English.")

"Das ist es ja, es ist von Cartoon Network."

("That's the thing, it's _Cartoon Network_.")

Randall blinked. "Haben sie Rugrats gemacht?"

("Did they make Rugrats?")

"Das ist Nickelodeon."

("That's Nickelodeon.")

"Ah."

"So oder so, _ich_ kenne zumindest einige Leute, die das mögen werden."

("Either way, _I_ know some people that'll like this, at least.")

~

Said people were just returning home, groceries in hand. "Here's hoping we don't have to shop _before_ we fly out."

"Depends how _quickly_ we go through it all."

"I don't _think_ w-we're pigs, Eliza."

"You haven't seen me after a long day of piloting, Mari." Asuka self deprecated, as she went about stowing the various foodstuffs. "So how many pages do you guys think we have left in this?"

"A hundred, at most." Rei thought.

"At the very least, it'd be easy enough for us to just _get_ through."

"Yeah Shinji, the quicker we go through it, the faster I'll get _better_." With a chuckle. "Hopefully that little _holiday_ I had from you helped me realise I _need_ you."

"And that you _love_ him."

"Right now I'd settle for something _similar_ to that word, considering I'm apparently _allergic_ to the big L." As she scoffed. "But hey, we might as well see what happens, eh?"

They all sat down at the table, catching her drift. "Who knows. Perhaps you _will_ say such words to him."

Asuka shrugged.

And with that glowing review of Pengel's work, they got started on the home stretch.

* * *

## 2\. After End of Evangelion

Note: This doujin also goes under the names of _The Epilogue of Evangelion_ , and _Sono Go No Evangelion_. Please refer to the _=Strange Companions=_ English translation for page numbers; available in all good wretched hives. Or you can find it [_here_](https://archive.org/stream/manga_Evangelion/Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion/Sono%20Go%20No%20Evangelion%20%28The%20Epilogue%20of%20Evangelion%29%20%28Neon%20Genesis%20Evangelion%20Doujin%29%20%5BStrange%20Companions%5D), courtesy of archive.org

Character Key:

Shinji (S) Asuka (A)

Rei (R) Kaworu (K)

Eliza (E) Mari (M)

** 2.54: I Love You **

_The Final AT-Field_ **(Page 606)**

M: "W-with how much Pengel is building up the whole _l-love_ aspect of this."

E: "They might have a chance."

R: "Even though Asuka _likes_ to belittle her alternate self, it is still evident she _loves_ him."

A: "I know _that_ , it'd just I don't make that _obvious_."

S: "I still pick up on it, at least."

A: "And I'm _very_ lucky he does."

K: "As the pages suggest, there is no one _else_ for you two."

A: "Meaning we _have_ to make it work, eh?"

R: "The _scenic route_ , as has been put."

M: "And you g-guys _have_ put in the work. You went to damn _Germany_ w-without _any_ sort of significant transportation."

E: "Cars don't count?"

A: "Not when you have to cross a _continent_ to get somewhere."

... **(607)**

K: "I suppose you _could_ call it the final AT-Field."

A: "Especially when we're _intermingling_ AT-Fields on a regular basis."

Snickering all around.

R: "If _that_ was not an indicator of your love for him."

E: "Here's hoping Pengel doesn't take this opportunity for some _fanservice_."

M: "I'm sure _m-most_ people here would hope that."

S: "I know _I_ would."

A: "Heh, of course _you_ would, Shin-chan."

_Change_ **(608)**

A: "Guess I can't _deny_ that."

R: "It all depends on whether you think this is _good_ change."

A: " _I'd_ think so. I'm sure _she_ would, as well."

E: "Your _tsun_ might not think so."

M: "I don't think _o-our_ Asuka gives a damn about her tsun."

A: "You're Goddamn right."

K: "And I would suppose _that's_ what you're holding out for. For _that_ Asuka to stop giving a damn."

A: "I've been waiting _over six hundred pages_ for that."

S: "At the very least, it _sounds_ like it'll be going that way."

... **(609)**

M: "Well _that_ s-seems like a bit of a flaw."

R: "Especially when one considers this is meant to be a _self sustaining_ colony."

A: "Surely they had _technicians_ back then that could _fix_ that."

K: "Indeed, _back then_."

E: "Having all your power routed through a _single_ point of failure seems idiotic anyway. You want _redundancy_ when it comes to that."

S: "That means we can only run it for _half_ the day as well, right?"

A: "I'm sure it'd have _some_ automation to it. Emergency shutdowns if it gets too strained?"

R: "I am sure if it makes _your_ lives more difficult."

A: "Oh _of course_ Pengel makes our lives more difficult. _Wolk_ didn't have any caveat when it came to power generation, they just gave us solar panels and said _have fun_."

K: "I'm sure even _that_ system had a controller in it. And for all these _generators_ , you _would_ need something to control it all."

E: "Even so, you'd get some _redundancy_ in those systems."

S: "Unless the _manual_ is just playing it up so no one touches it."

M: "At least t-that means you can have a _hot shower_ a-again."

A: "I'm not sure _how_ I lived without that."

... **(610)**

K: "Ah, that got you thinking _existentially_ , Asuka?"

A: "As it _would_. I probably didn't _think_ until now that _either_ of us will die one day."

R: "It is not something that often crosses the mind."

M: "I mean, t-there's not really a point about _fussing_ a-about it, I feel."

S: "...It's pretty clear what _I_ want, as well."

E: "You want your potential _children_ to use such thing, as well."

A: "Well, _we_ won't be around forever. At least if we had _children_ we can get another _generation_ out of the planet."

K: "It depends if they get involved in any _Hapsburg_ action."

R: "Perhaps they can use the myriad of resources to ensure the genetic variation of the human species."

S: "Wouldn't a colony like that _have_ something like that preserved somewhere?"

K: "Which most likely expired when the power cut."

A: "...Though now that I read this again, I wonder if you'll get the wrong impression from my words."

... **(611)**

R: "A bit late to decide _against_ this lifestyle, I feel."

A: "Not like I _have_ a choice, after all."

K: "Then again, such thoughts are rather _understandable_. It _would_ be a different lifestyle from what you had."

S: "Even compared to us just _travelling_."

M: "It s-sounds like _you_ don't even believe your thoughts, Asuka."

A: "Why would I? After all I spent and done with Shinji, and after I _deliberately_ went to Germany to find this place with Shinji. Should've been obvious to _me_ that I wanted this life."

R: "Or perhaps that conversation with Shinji only _now_ make it apparent to you."

A: "It wouldn't be the _first_ time something hit me like a sack of bricks, at least."

E: "I like how _no one_ paid attention to the blatant fanservice in this page."

A: "I think _everyone_ here knows I have a nice ass, Eliza. Not really something to _note_."

M: "And the s-shower might as well be the _best_ p-place to have a crisis like this. The w-warm water _would_ help.

K: "If the warm water was turned on."

_Strange_ **(Page 612)**

A: "Good to hear you've _already_ given up trying to get a straight answer out of me."

K: "I'm sure he'll _try_ , at the very least."

R: "It is almost like all those thoughts weigh on the mind."

E: "Did you think like this in _Wolk's_ work?"

A: "I _might've_ , though I don't think it was a _focus_."

S: "All that kinda just _happened_ in Wolk's work. Not like we _planned_ to continue the human race after what happened."

M: "You've c-certainly been planning it _there_."

A: "Mostly _Shinji_ , mind you."

R: "Much to _your_ chagrin."

K: "It _does_ appear it will be going that way, with how Pengel deliberately associated you with _Adam and Eve_."

A: "Yes I'm sure that world works _exactly_ like it does in the Old Testament. Maybe we'll live to the _3000s_ and have several hundred kids or something."

R: "It would depend what _Pengel_ wants of their world, after all."

... **(613)**

M: "I w-wonder if you're _depressed._ "

A: "It wouldn't _surprise_ me, honestly. Never had anything _diagnosed_ or anything, but I'm sure after _everything_ that happened I have _something_."

R: "And those _thoughts_ you had are on your mind, as well."

S: "As we said, it _would_ be a bit of an adjustment from what was once normal."

E: "Your taking it in your stride at least, Shinji."

K: "Pengel _has_ established Asuka as the one that _focuses_ on this sort of thing, after all."

A: "I really need to _learn_ that no worries attitude from you, Shinji."

M: "Is t-that what you learnt _here_?"

S: "I never even _noticed_ I have that attitude, honestly."

A: "Maybe I learnt it by _osmosis_."

... **(614)**

A: "You probably know better than _I_ do, Shinji."

E: "And you're _still_ pushing him away."

A: "As usual, eh." She huffed. "Almost like I'm going _backwards_."

M: "Maybe y-you'll _tell_ him how you feel about all this."

R: "I am sure he will help you _regardless_."

K: "But Mari _does_ have a point. The only way Shinji can _truly_ know what's going on is if you _tell_ him, Asuka."

A: "Yeah, and what're the chances _that's_ happening anytime soon."

S: "Depends if this is _leading me on_ somewhere."

A: "I mean, I _probably_ am. Hopefully."

K: "We already know that Shinji should do the _opposite_ of what a tsun says."

A: "...So maybe I _am_ leading him on somewhere, then."

... **(615)**

R: "You _know_ this is wrong."

A: "Yeah but I say it anyway." She sighed. "I swear my tsun has gotten _worse_ because of that little holiday."

K: "You realised just how much you _rely_ on Shinji. And it's not something you can _ignore_ as well; you _struggled_ with lasting _three days_ away from him."

A: "Kinda like _here_ , then. Though the _difference_ is, I _openly_ love him to death, _she_ doesn't."

S: "At least not _yet_."

M: "Good to hear _y-you're_ holding out hope."

E: "I'm sure you two _will_ come to an accord. Perhaps Asuka wishes to pour her heart out to you in a private place."

A: "Like that _solar panel_."

... **(616)**

A: "Yep, it _is_ that solar panel."

E: "Unless Shinji thought you _did_ go to heaven."

S: "I think I can pick up on the _context_."

M: "Even like _that_ , I d-doubt she'd do... _that_."

A: "Of _course_ I wouldn't, I _like_ being alive."

R: "And all of that is _posturing_ , anyway."

K: "You _want_ that life with Shinji. _Despite_ your denials."

A: "I don't make it _easy_ for me, do I?"

E: "Or for Shinji."

M: "But all t-that just makes your inevitable collision a-all the _better_ , I'd think."

A: "After all this buildup, I'd _hope_. If all this ended with us two going our separate ways, I think I'd throw this doujin in a _fire_."

_Almost Heaven_ **(Page 617)**

R: "I suppose it _would_ be a nice place to have a heart to heart."

M: "Nothing b-but you two and the _sky_."

A: " _Really_ building up the fact it's _only_ us in this world, eh?"

E: "At least for now."

S: "Looks like you're _hoping_ I understand that note, at least."

A: "I _need_ you, Shinji. That should be obvious to _her_ , as well."

K: "I'm sure it'll be _now_ she decides to spill her heart out."

M: "T-Then again, when else _could_ s-she?"

A: "Any of the six hundred pages _before_ this, I'd think."

... **(618)**

A: "But yeah, I suppose it _is_ picturesque."

K: "Makes for good imagery."

R: "Good for a visual medium."

M: "And y-you _were_ waiting for him there, weren't you?"

A: "Of _course_. As I said, I _need_ Shinji. Maybe I finally _realised_ this."

E: "So you are looking to _finally_ put your tsun aside."

A: "At least my _excess_ tsun. I'm sure _Shinji_ would like me to keep _some_ of my fire."

S: "I kinda _like_ that fire anyway, y'know."

A: "Oh _I_ know that well." With a small smirk. "Just gotta make sure you don't get _burned_."

S: "I've gotten pretty _good_ at that, I'd think."

M: "I h-haven't seen our Asuka _deck_ y-you for that prodding you do."

A: "That's because I _like_ it when he prods me."

... **(619)**

S: "Yes."

E: "Well _that_ was easy."

R: "It depends on the context. Do you want to live a long life with her, or do you want to take your life with her?"

S: "The _former_."

A: "Same with _me_."

M: "I think _that_ S-Shinji thinks you mean the _latter_."

S: "Wouldn't be the _first_ time I misinterpreted something."

K: "That raises an interesting question. If you are _that_ dependent on each other... though then again, why _would_ you want to take your own life with such company?"

A: "That's what we're trying to _avoid_ , Kaworu. And even _if_ God forbid Shinji dies, I'm gonna fucking _hate_ life but I'm not gonna kill myself."

S: "Ain't that good to hear."

E: "I know for a fact _everyone_ will help you through it."

A: "And yeah, Shinji isn't my _only_ anchor. I've diversified it to _you guys_ as well, as I _know_ you guys have as well."

M: "I'm s-sure the fact you all _slept together_ c-confirms that."

A: "Ehh I think we're counting that as more of an _experiment_. Tried it, didn't work out so well."

R: "Might try again in the future."

K: "Perhaps _without_ a naked gore fest negatively influencing our mental states."

A: "Yeah that was probably a factor with that."

... **(620)**

A: "Oh good, I _don't_ want to kill myself."

K: "Not even _you're_ immune to saying the wrong thing."

A: "After 600 pages, _I'm_ the expert at that."

E: "So you _want_ to live, at least. Which would mean you want to live with _Shinji_."

M: "With e-everything that implies."

R: "We cannot deny that is a good _start_."

A: "I know, right? Now we just need to get that excess _tsun_ out of the way and for me to _finally_ admit I love Shinji."

S: "I don't think _either_ of us are going anywhere in a hurry, at least."

A: "So I have the _time_ to get ready to confess, at least." She huffed. "I just need to up and _kiss_ you, like we did _here_."

R: "You _have_ , though. Several times."

E: "And a lot _more_ than that, as well."

A: "Maybe what I'm missing is that I didn't get stuck in _Leliel_. I think we probably _would've_ taken it at least a _bit_ slower, if not for the fact I damn near _died_ after discovering there was finally _someone_ out there for me."

K: "You don't know what you have until it's _gone_. And that was your wake up call."

M: "M-Maybe that _vacation_ of y-yours served as your wake up c-call."

A: "Never thought it'd be something as simple as a small _holiday_. _Here_ it was almost getting killed by Leliel, in _Wolk's_ work it was getting _shouted_ at by Shinji for pretending to _drown_ myself. I'm not sure _what_ that wake up call was in Kimigabuchi's doujin."

R: "Pengel must be a _pioneer_ , then. Your wake up call happened at the _end_ of the work, instead of at the _beginning_ of it. Or _near_ the beginning."

A: "Can we go back to the _old system_ of doing it?"

_Don't Say_ **(Page 621)**

M: "The b-big L, I take."

A: "I reckon it _is_."

R: "As we have _all_ discussed."

K: "You _say_ you don't want to say it."

E: "I'm sure Asuka would describe that as _bullshit_."

A: "Yep." With a small chuckle. "I _really_ should've dredged those words out a bit earlier."

S: "We're getting there, by the sounds of it."

A: "I know. Unless she beats around the bush a bit more."

R: "You know she would."

A: "Oh I know."

... **(622)**

K: "Ah, an issue of _pride_ , was it?"

A: "One of the characteristics of a _tsun_ , of course."

R: "Then again, you _seemed_ rather prideful when I first met you."

A: "Still am, in a few ways."

E: "That was how Rei got you to face _Sandalphon_ , after all."

S: "I don't think it got in our way though, did it?"

A: "Nah not at all. Hell, it probably _sated_ my pride in some screwed up way."

M: "You w-won the guy of your dreams, I'm sure _my_ pride would be sated."

R: "I doubt you even _focused_ on that, after what _else_ happened."

A: "Funny thing about almost dying, it tends to _change_ you."

M: "Straight up _d-dying_ sometimes has the same result, as well."

... **(623)**

A: "Surely it won't be _that_ easy."

S: "Pengel won't make it that easy."

E: "You'll most likely say you _hate_ him, first of all. Which Shinji will see through because that's the dynamic you two have in this work."

M: "Is that even _healthy_ for y-you two?"

A: "I _doubt_ it, but then again _we_ aren't exactly the epitome of a _healthy_ relationship."

M: "Touche."

K: "That world doesn't have any _standards_ for relationships anymore, though."

R: "Nor does it have any for laws or practices, as the opening text suggested."

A: "Other than what _we_ make it."

E: "If you _are_ starting society over again, you really _could_ make it what you wanted."

S: "We'd probably base it off what _we_ know, at least."

A: "And what we're _comfortable_ with, of course."

K: "All that planning depends on how _you two_ feel about such thing, of course."

... **(624)**

A: "Knew it, where's my Euros."

R: "You did not place a bet."

A: "Well I _should've_ ; that would've won!"

M: "And n-no one would've taken you up on it."

E: "Good to see _Shinji_ making light of it, at least."

S: "Putting that whole 'think the opposite of what a tsun says' thing into practice, eh?"

K: "This is practically a _confession_ then."

A: "Not the confession I _want_."

R: "It will come. Shinji's _lack_ of a reaction indicates he knows this is not true."

M: "He's n-not even _entertaining_ that anymore."

S: "Looks like you have to prod me _another_ way, Asuka."

A: "I'm sure I'll find a good alternative."

... **(625)**

R: "Your pride is fighting to its dying breath."

A: "Sure _looks_ like it, eh? I'm sure there's a _massive_ battle between my tsun and _everything else_ going on in my head right now."

M: "I'm j-just envisioning that weird Star W-Wars prequel they made b-before the world went to hell."

K: "For being a... _unique_ Star Wars film, that was a good battle."

S: "We still need to _see_ that film, don't we?"

M: " _I_ thought it w-was a pretty good film. Jar-Jar's almost _d-definitely_ a Sith Lord in disguise, though."

A: "A _Sith Lord_?"

M: "Yeah, w-why _else_ would he act like an idiot and c-constantly harass the Jedi?"

A: "Because he _is_ an idiot?"

R: "Hear her out, Asuka." In an _interested_ tone, much to Asuka's amusement.

M: " _You_ t-try giving another reason why Jar-Jar survived that battle on N-Naboo; he took down a damn _tank_ for God's sake."

S: "So he _deliberately_ acted like an idiot to throw off his enemies?"

K: "There _is_ actually precedent for such thing in our own world. _Zui Quan_ is a Chinese martial art that roughly translates to _drunken boxing_ , and focuses almost _entirely_ on making yourself seem ineffectual. And if you _look_ the part, that's all that really matters."

E: "I have _no idea_ what you guys are talking about."

R: "It tells me I need to watch The Phantom Menace again."

... **(626)**

A: "Yeah, I don't think there's _ever_ any understanding her."

R: "Maybe that is what she _wants_. She does not want Shinji _assuming_."

S: "I _have_ been assuming a lot about you, haven't I?"

E: "Helps most of it was _obvious_."

M: "Maybe _we_ shouldn't h-have been assuming."

A: "It's _very_ easy to do, admittedly."

K: "But now you _know_ Shinji won't be making any assumptions about you, perhaps that'll make you _comfortable_ enough to tell him what you _truly_ feel."

A: "Well... if all that was trying to throw him off or something, I can _see_ that."

_Just Love Me_ **(Page 627)**

A: " _There_ it is." She couldn't help but smile.

M: "Looks like t-that was all Shinji had to do. Just stop _assuming_."

S: "You probably _shouldn't_ assume stuff like that, I guess."

A: "Not like _I_ was very forthcoming with that sorta thing, anyway."

E: "I doubt any of that matters _now_ , however."

K: "Or to _us_ , I imagine. This was _exactly_ what you wanted, Asuka."

A: "Yeah, and it only took _six hundred pages_ to get here."

R: "And yet, we got here." With a small smile, _enjoying_ what was going on. "Just on the _scenic route_."

M: "Which, I s-suppose, makes it more _significant_. The fact we _waited_ this l-long for such thing."

E: "Good to hear _you're_ getting involved with the _shipping_ as well."

M: "When in R-Rome."

... **(628)**

A: "I wonder how _painful_ that was for me to say that."

R: "Your tsun was kicking and screaming."

K: "Still, it's _out there_ , now. Shinji _knows_."

E: "For sure."

K: "Indeed. Her _body_ might've already _expressed_ her love, but it's all in the _mind_."

A: "Looks like it finally caught up, eh?"

M: "To _Shinji's_ j-joy, I'm sure."

S: "It'd be the first time she _said_ that to me, so I'm sure I _would_ be happy about that."

A: " _I'm_ certainly happy about that, finally getting it _out there_."

K: "I imagine this means you two can get _started_ with your new life."

R: "We will let their _moment together_ happen first, Trout."

... **(629)**

S: "That flame's still there, I see."

A: "Good for you, eh?" With a slight chuckle. "You finally turned down the heat from _bushfire_ to _fireplace_."

E: "Now there really _is_ nothing between you two now."

R: "Akin to _here_."

M: "Did Shinji n-not _know_ you were hiding all that?"

S: "I _sound_ like that, do I?"

K: "Perhaps you didn't know the full _extent_ of such thing. Or how it tied into all the insecurities and other issues going on."

A: "Maybe if I _told_ him."

R: "Him not presuming such thing sounded _prerequisite_ , however. You would not open yourself up to him until he stopped trying to _pry_ you open."

S: "I didn't really do that _here_ , I think."

A: " _I_ don't think so, and I'd like to think _I_ would be a pretty good arbiter on all things _us_."

R: "You are certainly the most _successful_ Asuka in the multiverse, so far."

... **(630)**

A small titter from Asuka. "Gotta keep _that_ up, of course."

K: "It takes a new meaning, now we know you _do_ love him."

R: "All in good fun. Much like a pet name."

M: "Maybe t-that's _also_ why you didn't want to a-admit that."

E: "She couldn't believe Shinji _loves_ her."

A: "I think I believe that _now_. That or I'm _easing myself_ into such thing."

S: "I don't think I'd mind that."

A: "Helps I'm in your arms, eh Shinji?"

S: "It does, yeah."

... **(631)**

R: "It might not save the world at this point. But that is still a good kiss."

A: "Good to hear we have approval from the avatar of procreation herself."

E: "Now _get busy_."

Asuka snorted. "He could at least buy me _dinner_ first."

M: "He's been making you dinner almost the entire time."

K: "Technically that's _making_ dinner."

S: "Sounds like we won't get _around_ to that, then."

A: "Ah I'm sure we can get around that, Shin-chan."

R: "Either way. I would say that is you two _officially_ together."

M: "And it o-only took..." She glanced down. "633 pages."

R: "Scenic route."

... **(632)**

A: "...Is that meant to be _our OP_ with different lyrics?"

K: "It doesn't really travel well over a _written medium_."

R: "You can always hum the opening and fill in the blanks."

S: "They seem rather _fitting_ , at least."

E: "Not the least because this was _based_ off the Laserdiscs. At least _parts_ of it."

M: "Not like _I_ w-would get any of that."

K: "I'm sure we'll show you the Laserdiscs and other associated works once we get back to Japan."

A: "If you _want_ her to suffer."

M: "I mean, I p-probably _should_ see them. If all of t-these are _based_ off it."

R: "A fair enough assumption. And as we discussed, I am sure the _Theatrical_ will interest you."

M: "Depends w-what _happens_ to u-us in it."

A: "You actually get off pretty scot free, actually."

M: "Now _that's_ a c-change."

**(Page 633, 634, 635, 636)**

The lot flipped through the pages, Asuka couldn't help but continue smiling at the imagery they depicted. "I suppose there isn't much _left_ in this then, eh?"

"The story has practically _ended_." Remarked Kaworu. "You two are together, and you _love_ each other."

"There is still yet _more_ , however."

"Maybe _epilogues_ of some sort."

"How we all _lived_ , I imagine."

"It'd be kinda _I-interesting_ to see, I'd think."

"Indeed. Now you two have squared away _that_ , you can focus on _everything else_."

"Which I know in _Shinji's_ case, involves _continuing humanity_."

"That's more _Pengel_ saying that through me, though."

"Yeah but it's still _your_ mouth, Shin-chan." With a small smirk. "Not like _I_ mind, of course."

"Depends on _how many_."

"What was the number that we came up with during that _dream_ of ours, like _seventeen_? _That_ seems a bit excessive, though then again I suppose I have to _pull my weight_ a bit if I want humanity to survive from _two people_."

"I'm sure becoming a _broodmare_ wasn't a thought that crossed your mind."

"Not particularly, no." She scoffed. "I don't even know _how_ I'd have seventeen kids, at least _individually_."

"Pretty s-sure we concluded it'd be like what happened to _Apu_ f-from the Simpsons."

"That'd have to happen _twice_ to me!"

"Either way, we can see _now_ if reality is as your dream."

"Can't wait."

~~~

** 2.55: Love **

_Family Matters_ **(Page 637, 637)**

A: "Is this just the same text they showed us at the _start_ of all this?"

Kaworu flipped back. "It is."

S: "Good to see _some_ traditions never die."

... **(639)**

R: "I wonder what you are both thinking."

A: "Probably 'now what'?"

Snickering all around. "At l-least Pengel didn't decide to have you two _celebrate_ c-coming together."

K: "They'd be coming together in _another_ way, if that was the case."

S: "You look _happy_ at least, Asuka."

A: "I reckon that's the first time I _really_ felt happiness in a while."

E: "Doesn't change how _bashful_ Shinji feels about all this."

A: "He was kinda like that after _we_ got together, as well."

S: "At least until I got _used_ to the idea of someone loving me."

A: "Good thing you did; there's a lot _more_ people that feel that way."

He couldn't help but blush.

... **(640)**

A: "I _did_ have to teach you to get bolder, so they got _that_ right."

R: "Now look at him, complementing your _figure_ so openly."

S: "I don't see _her_ complaining."

A: "You bet your ass _I_ wouldn't complain about that!"

E: "Hopefully this _doesn't_ lead to excess fanservice."

K: "Not that _Asuka_ would complain, I'm sure."

M: "Sounds like _E-Eliza's_ been the one complaining."

E: "I'm not exactly one for that kind of thing, if you didn't notice. Then again, don't have much choice in that matter currently."

R: "You will be back in a body of your own by next week, I am sure."

... **(641)**

The collective trains of thought of the Tumbleweed all collided, as they realised a few key _details_ of this chapter.

M: "Roll Tide."

A: "Oh my God we _are_ the Hapsburgs!"

E: "They're _your_ children."

S: "I don't think _we'd_ encourage that."

K: "Maybe your overlord _Pengel_ decided to _waive_ the myriad of issues associated with this sort of thing."

R: "Rather amazing how they look _exactly_ like you when you were younger, then."

A: "Amazing _she_ looks exactly like _you do_ , Rei."

E: "A part of me is lead to believe Pengel doesn't have an idea about genetics."

A: "Or that they're _into_ that sorta thing."

R: "He _has_ been known to be perverted, after all."

... **(642)**

M: "Roll Ti- h-hang on a minute, _why_ do they look like me?"

E: "As we said, Pengel has a _loose_ grasp on genetics."

K: "Actually, that sort of figure _works_. Take Shinji's dark hair and put it on a girl, you get _her_."

S: "She's really _Shinko_ , then?"

A: "Hey, it's not _you_ this time around, at least." With a small smirk. "So what, are we just gonna let our kids _fuck_ or something?"

R: "Not the _best_ thing, especially when they should be preparing for this _festival_."

M: "What _would_ t-that festival be about, anyway?"

K: "How _mother_ and _father_ got together for the first time, I imagine."

S: "I suppose we aren't the best _influences_ on them, are we?"

A: "Yeah, maybe a whole festival about _us_ wouldn't exactly teach them _not_ to fuck each other."

... **(643)**

K: "At least _those two_ mini you's are getting along well."

A: "So what, that's _seven_ so far, by my count."

M: "You really _a-are_ a factory."

E: "Seven is still somewhat _realistic_ , at least. It's probably _excessive_ , but I don't think there _exists_ excess in that world."

R: "Especially if inbreeding depression does _not_ exist in this world. Though then again, not like there is a _choice_."

S: "So we either _die_ , or we inbreed _then_ die."

A: "I mean, we _might_ get a few generations to try _fixing_ the lack of genetic diversity before we all die to a _plague_ of some sort, as we kinda suggested. It _is_ a colony, after all."

E: "Then again, this _colony_ also has several glaring _flaws_ in its design."

M: "Maybe t-they can work _around_ said flaws. More m-minds and all that."

... **(644)**

E: "Eight."

K: "Now how does _that_ happen?"

R: "For all we know, you could have auburn hair."

A: "Despite looking _exactly_ like him."

S: "Rather weird how _all_ of our children have looked almost _exactly_ like us, so far."

M: "You e-even had someone that looked similar to how _I_ looked. T-Though those _glasses_ weren't too hot."

A: " _Optometrist_ isn't exactly a burgeoning industry in Pengel's world, I'd think."

K: "It would depend how your _genetics_ were, if either of you had or will end up with poor eyesight."

S: "I mean, I _might_ need glasses in the future. I know my _father_ wore some."

A: "They had a use _other_ than making him look menacing?"

E: "Doesn't _seem_ like that, I'm sure."

... **(645)**

M: "Rooo~oll Tiiiiiiii~ide."

K: "At _this_ rate, Hapsburg action is inevitable."

A: "I'm already convinced it _happens_ , Kaworu!"

E: "Good to see your _lookalike_ has a similar personality to you, Kaworu."

K: "Strange that."

S: "Not even mentioning the fact you're coming onto _Rei_ , as well."

R: "At least _lookalikes_."

M: "I'm h-honestly not sure what _gender_ they are."

K: "It's a rather _androgynous_ haircut, admittedly."

A: "At least if two _girls_ roll tide, there won't be any _Charles II of Spain's_ happening."

... **(646)**

E: "Good to see _someone's_ refraining from _family relations_."

M: "Can't e-even say _Roll Tide_ t-to that."

A: "They're all rather _self sufficient_ , aren't they?"

S: "They certainly have _others_ to be around, at least."

R: "More than one could say of _Aki_ , at the very least."

K: "This makes _eight_ , of various ages."

A: "How much _time_ d'ya think has passed, then?"

E: "I'd say at least twenty years, considering that Rei and that Kaworu and that Shinko looked like _adults_."

S: "They _would_ have different names, wouldn't they?"

A: "Or we just named them Shinji I, Shinji II, Shinji III, et cetera."

R: "It would depend on how _creative_ Pengel was."

_Heavens Above_ **(Page 647)**

A: "After pumping _that_ many kids out, I _would_ have to sit down!"

The lot snickered.

K: "I'm sure _raising_ that many kids _would_ be a strain."

R: "After a _while_ , you would start having _help_ with it."

M: "S-Sounds like the hardest part of it's _over_ , t-then."

A: "Oh it wouldn't get _easier_."

E: "It's more getting _used_ to it, I'm sure."

A: " _Shinji_ would be happy about having such a large family, at least."

S: "...Maybe."

... **(648)**

R: "I wonder how you came up with _Mei_."

A: "It's more creative than _Rei IV_ , at least."

K: "Looks like there _would_ be need for an optometrist, with _you_ requiring them as well Shinji."

S: "Well _that_ doesn't bode well for me in the future."

A: "Ah I think you look alright with glasses. Just depends _what_ glasses."

E: "Needless to say, he won't be wearing the tinted shades of his father."

A: "Oh _God no_."

M: " _Shinseki_ m-means _new century_ , doesn't it?"

R: "Indeed. A rather _apt_ name; the full title of our anime is _Shin Seiki Evangelion._ "

K: "Roughly translating to _new century Gospel._ "

S: "You _could_ call this a new century, I suppose."

A: "Doesn't really _surprise_ me we made a new _calendar_ for ourselves. The old world's _dead_ , after all."

E: "Probably not even a different _calendar_. You just shifted the epoch."

Asuka shrugged. "Close enough."

... **(649)**

A: "Well at least I gotten over _leaving_."

R: "With your _importance_ , I would not recommend such thing."

K: "Then again, there'll be _someday_ you two will leave them, to fend for themselves."

S: "From what it _looks_ , they're doing pretty good for themselves."

M: "Kinda m-makes _sense_ , you two feel like the centre of t-the world."

E: "You're only the _progenitor_ of everyone there."

R: "With an entire _festival_ dedicated to you."

A: "Makes _sense_ we need a bit of quiet time, every now and then."

K: "A good thing you two still have that small piece of heaven, then."

... **(650)**

E: "I mean, _seventeen_ years could still work."

A: "Eight kids in seventeen years... I would've had to have had a kid every couple years!"

R: "Discounting any multiples."

S: "Still, that sounds... a bit _excessive_."

K: "It's to be _expected_ , in a world with no _protection_."

M: "I'm s-sure there's a _reason_ people had so many c-children back in the past."

A: "And if we were _fifteen_ , that'd make us _thirty two_ years old at this point!"

S: "Might as well get a _pension_."

R: "You still have a few good years, at least."

A: "Yeah, I might get to the _golden_ Mutterkreuz at this rate!"

E: "It wouldn't surprise me if _that's_ what the Shinseki festival was about."

S: "We really _aren't_ a good influence on our kids, are we?"

A: "Yeah yeah, Roll Tide."

... **(651)**

R: " _You_ certainly seem pleased about that, Asuka."

A: "Giving birth to _one_ child is painful enough."

E: "And you've had _eight_."

M: "S-sounds like you got _busy_ rather early, as w-well."

S: "We _saw_ that, didn't we?"

A: "Yeah it was pretty _inevitable_ we had a kid."

K: "More company is never a bad thing, after all."

R: "The world is not so lonely anymore, it seems."

E: "We know the name of _one_ of them, at least. What _other_ names would you have given them?"

A: "Just take all _our_ names and replace one or two syllables in them, since that's apparently what we did with _Mei_."

_Half Full_ **(Page 652)**

A: "The world's _still_ empty."

R: "At least a sizeable _majority_."

M: " _This_ p-part of the world, however."

E: "Either way, it _would_ be a nice change. Actually having more than one person to _interact_ with."

S: "Not so lonely anymore, is it?"

K: "It wouldn't have been so lonely either way, with you two around."

A: "Can't deny it's _less_ lonely than Wolk's world."

M: "Helps y-you two got _busy_."

R: "With her age, the world might get slightly _less_ lonely still."

A: "And even _more so_ if we decide to go full _Hapsburg_."

... **(653)**

S: "You _do_ look rather happy."

A: "Helps _you're_ around, Shinji."

R: "And that you finally got it out there."

E: "If they didn't, I'm sure those eight children wouldn't be _around_."

K: "Of course, it's _easy_ to look back at yourself and think all that."

A: "Almost like we were _young teens_. And we don't make great decisions that young."

M: "Coming f-from a _young teen_ h-herself."

A: "Says _you_ , as well."

R: "You _already_ look back at your younger self with some distain."

S: "Then again, there's _some_ things our younger selves did that we didn't mind."

A: "Getting with _you_ was one of them, Shin-chan."

... **(654)**

R: "Even remembering _that_."

A: "Well, if it _worked_ before."

K: "You could be with someone for _ages_ and never fully understand them."

M: "That's a _g-good_ thing, I'd think. Everyone seems l-like that."

S: "Almost like everyone has something _different_ going on, up there."

M: "I'm sure _she_ a-appreciates it, either way."

A: "While I'd _normally_ say I didn't _sound_ like it, I'm never really sure _what's_ going on in my head."

... **(655)**

K: "Indeed, you _are_ happy."

A: "Of _course_ I want _more_ of it."

M: "Happiness is one of the f-few things in life you _w-would_ want more of."

R: "I am sure _Shinji_ and company can give you yet _more_ of it."

E: "Depends if this happiness includes having _more_ children."

A: "As we've said, in _that_ world it's kinda _inevitable_."

S: "As long as I can keep _trying_ to make you happy."

A: "Oh you're certainly doing alright on _that_ front, if I say so myself."

... **(656)**

M: "Sounds l-like what _you guys_ are d-doing."

A: "Only it's not exactly a _debt_."

S: "I don't think it's a debt _there_ , as well."

E: "Just a tsun's way of saying she wants to spend her life with you."

R: "Fifty years from there would put you two at around _eighty two_ years old."

A: " _That's_ certainly not bad, as long as we're not _decrepit_ and _demented_."

K: "It would also depend on the situation surrounding _that_ world. Living to such an age may be reasonable in _our_ world, with advanced healthcare and reasonable sanitation. In a post apocalyptic world like _that_ , with no formal healthcare, reaching such an age would be _monumental_."

A: "As long as _none_ of us die before one another, that'll be alright."

R: "May be a hard ask in such a world."

_Lover's Dance_ **(Page 657)**

A: "You can _bet_ we're still in unison with that!"

M: "I'm sure it'd be a-amusing, regardless."

K: "A good thing, perhaps, none of your children are around to see you bumble around."

E: "It sounds like they _already_ saw those two screw it up."

R: "Maybe they will screw it up _again_."

S: "At least we're _practicing_ for it, this time."

A: "Since it sounds like we _need_ it." With a small smirk. "And I'm sure the whole _bonding experience_ of dancing would help, as well."

K: "It _would_ help."

... **(658)**

M: "I'm s-sure your kids wouldn't have _minded_ s-seeing all this."

A: " _I_ certainly don't mind this."

R: "Then again, this is a _quiet_ moment between you two."

K: "Nothing but you in the moment and the _sky_."

S: "...It _does_ sound rather nice, doesn't it?"

E: "Especially with no one to _interrupt_ you."

A: "Then again, most of our kids are busy trying to set up the festival."

M: "Or getting involved in s-some _Alabama_ action."

... **(659)**

S: "Thats true for _here_ , as well."

A: "Oh I'm not the _only_ person you find happiness in, nowadays."

R: "A _majority_ of happiness, perhaps."

M: "As I'm s-sure it is in _that_ world. Those _kids_ of yours w-would get you _some_ joy, I'm s-sure."

K: "Kids tend to do that, it seems."

E: "I'm sure it'd _depend_ on some variables."

R: "Indeed. There are good days and bad days, as with life in general."

K: "You gotta have the good with the bad. Yin and Yang."

A: "As long as we have more _good_ days than _bad_ days, that's fine by me."

S: "I think we _still_ have had more bad days than good."

M: "Hopefully w-we can't say the same for _those_ v-versions of you."

... **(660)**

A: "What was I saying?" With a wide smirk. "I _knew_ it!"

E: "Perhaps you'll name them _Nei_."

S: "If _anything_ was to make me trip up, it'd be _that_."

M: "Guess y-you have _that_ to look forward to, as w-well."

A: "Can't fucking wait."

R: "The fact you have had _eight_ thus far means you do not really _care_ about such pain."

K: "That's here opinion _here_ , I believe."

A: "I mean, yeah it _would_ be pretty fucking painful. But it's _worth_ it, in the end."

E: "I'm sure if you _didn't_ think it worth it, you would've stopped after the _first_."

... **(661)**

S: "Knew it."

E: "Good to see _some_ things never change."

A: "Yeah, like me being a _factory_."

R: "You are not at the scale of your _dream_ , at least."

M: "Do you t-think she _could_ reach that scale?"

A: "I probably have another good _decade_ of baby making left in me, at that point. Assuming an average of one every _two years_ , that's around _five kids more_."

K: "Looks like you're getting the next Mutterkreuz."

A: "I'm going _over_ the amount for that damn medal!"

R: "Once again, discounting the possibility of _twins_."

E: "And I think you _have_ had twins. Two sets, actually."

S: "The two that were similar in age, right?"

E: "I believe so."

R: "Then again, I doubt Pengel will _confirm_ this or not."

... **(662)**

E: "I _guess_ that's worthy of congratulations."

A: "I'd say just having _nine_ kids is worthy of that, anyway."

S: "I mean, it's fairly _easy_ to do that."

M: "I'd _hope_ it w-was easy."

R: "It is only something that _every_ living being does, in one way or another."

K: "As long as it's only _you two_ having kids, there won't be any problems."

A: "It's been _seventeen_ years since we had our first; if they really _are_ getting involved in anything Hapsburgian, I'm sure we'll know _soon_."

M: "Roll Tide."

... **(663)**

A: "...But yeah, _that_ would be worthy of thanks."

E: "Not just sticking nine kids in you, I'm guessing."

M: "I t-think it's more how you both _saved_ o-one another."

S: "...Sorta like _here_ , as well."

K: "I don't think _anyone_ can deny that."

E: "Considering we _all_ survived thanks to you two getting together."

R: "In _your_ case, you were _born_ thanks in part to Shinji and Asuka getting together."

M: "As a-all _nine_ of their kids t-there were."

A: "...We may not have been able to save the _world_ , that time around. But at least we were able to make a _new_ world for ourselves."

S: "Not bad, in the end, eh?"

A: "Yeah. Not bad at all."

**(Page 664)**

"Oh they could've used _different_ imagery for this!"

"I believe they call this a _bookend_. Similar scenario, different causes."

"And it's _you_ on top, Asuka."

"My _favourite_ position!"

And everyone laughed.

"S-So, that's the end of this, then?"

"There's _still_ a few more pages to this." Thought Shinji.

"Probably nothing more than _extras_ and stuff like that." Shrugged Asuka. "It'd be quick enough to go through, at least."

"Though that raises _another_ question." Spoke Rei. "What to do _after_ this?"

A few beats of quiet followed.

"Iunno." Asuka shrugged. "Lets burn that bridge once we finish this."

~~~

** 2.56: Coda **

_Family_ **(Page 665, 666)**

A: " _That's_ a nice family picture, at least."

K: "Maybe you took it on that _Polaroid_ we suggested you had."

E: "If such an antique even _exists_ in that game."

S: "Maybe one of our kids knows how to _sketch_."

M: "And t-that kid was _Pengel_."

R: "Now _that_ is an interesting thought. What if all this was a _chronicle_?"

K: "We know from _Bond's work_ , that was a written chronicle of that world."

A: "Written by a God Pen-Pen himself."

M: "I _s-still_ don't get that."

R: "And you probably will _not_ get it, unfortunately. Not unless said God penguin decides to give us that _encyclopaedia_ back."

A: "Fat chance at _that_."

_Covergirl_ **(Page 667-679)**

Asuka kept flicking through the myriad of covers.

R: "I assume these were the covers in the _non_ omnibus version of this."

S: "Where they _misspelt_ my name."

M: "Maybe _that's_ w-why they weren't used in this o-omnibus."

E: "At least you two _look_ reasonable, in this."

K: "And I suppose it's _good_ we got the omnibus version. Instead of the..."

Asuka kept flicking through the pages.

E: "I'm assuming those _dates_ were where these were first published. Making this span from 29 December _1997_ to..."

Asuka was _still_ flipping through the pages. "Okay _that's_ the end of the separated ones."

K: " _Twenty three_ separate releases."

E: "To 30 December _2006_."

M: "Thank God _we_ d-didn't have to wait _nine years_ to know what happened."

A: "I probably would've _forgotten_ about it, after that long."

_Red Girl_ **(Page 680-682)**

M: "I think Pengel _likes_ y-you."

A: "How disturbing."

K: "That sort of design isn't even _associated_ with you, nowadays."

A: "I don't think I've _worn_ those clips outside the Evangelion for _years_ now."

E: "And yet, I'm sure with the _Laserdisc_ version of you, it's still associated."

R: "At least this sort of _obsession_ is not the _draw you nude_ kind of obsession."

S: "They _have_ drawn her like that, though."

A: "Not that _you_ mind, at least."

E: "I'm sure _you_ mind."

A: "Depends _who's_ seeing those nude drawings of me."

R: "I am sure no one _outside_ of NERV will see them."

A: "That's probably _still_ too many people."

_Shiritori_ **(Page 683)**

A: "Now _that's_ an idea!"

M: "See, a game l-like that _probably_ wouldn't work in English."

E: "It would depend on the _words_ , I would think. Could try just using the _letter_ instead of the syllable." As she switched languages. "Program, mother, random, mother, random, mother, ran-" Shaking her head, issuing an interrupt.

K: "So much for _random_."

E: "Computers are _pseudorandom_ , anyway. Though it appears I need to _work_ on that."

S: "I'm sure you'll become an _expert_ in Shiritori in no time, Eliza."

R: "It would help she had a sizeable _dictionary_ in a few different languages."

M: "That j-just sounds like _cheating_ , at that point."

E: "You're welcome to become a computer if you want to."

Mari shrugged. "Not too s-sure about shoving my brain or soul in a beige t-tower."

E: "You don't _have_ to; I was doing just fine in a regular human body."

A: "I wouldn't exactly call an _Evangelion_ a beige tower, as well."

R: "More like a _white_ tower."

_Table of Contents_ **(Page 684-687)**

E: " _This_ would've been good to know a few hundred pages ago."

R: "Not like it would _affect_ much, if we were going through this _linearly_."

S: "Good to see they kept to the general _theme_ of the title cards."

A: "White on black text with often cryptic and strange titles."

K: "Some things don't change, eh?"

M: "It says we still have _o-one_ _more_ thing to go through, though."

K: "Indeed."

A: "So let's see what this _never end_ is!"

_The Never End of Evangelion_ **(Page 688)**

A: "Do you _really_ need to ask that question, Shinji?"

S: "No."

M: "Looks l-like we're gonna get _one more kiss_ before Pengel s-says farewell."

R: "It would be a _decent_ parting gift, at the very least."

E: "Probably to _make up_ for keeping you relatively separate for over six hundred pages."

K: "Even though those two can realistically kiss whenever they wanted to."

A: "Don't mind if I do!" As she tackled Shinji off of his chair and into a rather _deep_ kiss.

Rei couldn't help but smile at this show.

M: "So h-how often do they do this?"

R: "Often enough." She leaned down. "I hate to interrupt, but there are still a few pages to go in this."

A small whine from Asuka, before they got back up. "Raincheck until this is done, Shinji?"

S: "S... Sounds good."

... **(689)**

E: "I think you two have proven you don't _need_ a reason to do that."

A: "We proved it just _then_."

M: "I think the _r-reason_ for this is, you two _love_ each other."

S: "Which _is_ a pretty good reason, mind you."

K: "One _we_ often take, as well."

R: "Much to _my_ pleasure." With her soft smile.

A: "I think the _best_ kisses are the ones with no reason. Just a _spontaneous_ gesture of love that I almost _always_ appreciate."

E: "I'm sure if you're _occupied_ with something."

A: "Even then, an innocuous kiss on the cheek is usually good for that." She chuckled. "Not _all_ the kisses have to be that sloppy lip and tongue business."

S: "Though you like _those_ kinds of kisses."

A: "Well _yeah_ , but too much of a good thing and all that."

... **(690)**

A: "That's what I just said!"

R: "Almost like you are the same people. Funny that."

E: "I'm assuming _that_ kind of kiss is _not_ the sloppy sort?"

S: "Not _yet_ , at least."

Asuka snorted. "You'd _hope_ for that, eh?"

M: "Sounds like he's _a-already_ getting that."

K: "It's a rather _fitting_ end for this work, I would think."

R: "With how _distant_ you two were at the start of this. And _now_ look."

A: "Yeah, we finally got to where _we_ are!"

E: "You don't have _nine children_ , at least I _hope_ you don't have nine children."

A: "Nah, not until we get a bit _older_. Otherwise _Misato's_ naming them."

R: "I thought it was just the _first_ one."

A: "If I give an inch, she'll take a _mile_."

~

**STOP 691, 692**

"I'd say those words were fitting." Mused Kaworu. "This is the sort of story that _won't_ end."

"It's the end of _this_ story through, right?"

Kaworu flipped through a few more pages, running empty. "Indeed."

" _Good_."

Grabbing Shinji by the collar, she sequestered the two of them to the couch to clash their swords, if by swords you mean _tongues_.

"Gods damn."

"Let them have their fun, Eliza." Rei gently castigated. "So _Mari_ , how did you enjoy your first Rift material?"

"I t-thought it was pretty cool." With a small smile. "Not j-just reading through it, and _r-roasting_ it. But... just _talking_ with you guys about _anything_. I... I like that."

"Lets you get to know us better, as well." Thought Kaworu.

"Sometimes _w-way_ too much."

A small giggle. "But that is just how you get to _know_ someone better." Rei remarked. "Now we know more of _your_ interests, and you know more of _our_ interests."

"...Helps this has been the most... _fun_ I've had in my life for a good while, now."

"That was something we _promised_ you, no? Maybe not _fun_ , per say, but we certainly wanted a _better_ life for you."

"Which... I do appreciate." Mari squeaked out. "...Thank you. _All_ of you."

Rei/Eliza hugged Kaworu/Mari. "I am sure Shinji and Asuka would have gotten involved in this as well, were they not... _occupied_."

The girl in the boy's body couldn't help but giggle. "It's f-fine."

A few moments passed.

"So... w-what's gonna happen _now_?"

"Well..." As Rei glanced to the couch. "I am sure we can come up with something _after_ they are finished."

"They better not do it on the couch."

"You really _are_ Ritsuko's child."

A knock on the door interrupted them _all_ , and allowed them a few seconds to collect themselves before Carmen burst into the room. "Guys, you won't _believe_ what popped through a wormhole in my office!"

They all looked to what she was holding.

A jewel case depicting a group of various sizes and genders, standing in front of a strange giant robot.

"Oh _come on_! We _just_ _finished_ the last one!"

* * *

## 3\. Determination

With a determined look in his eyes, sweat that would be trailing down his face simply absorbing into the LCL surrounding him, hands locked to the butterfly controls, he faced down their quarry.

Who was pretending to file their nails with the progressive knife. _"Don't antagonise him_ more _, you two."_

_"_ If _we antagonise him more, that just means he'll make more mistakes."_

_"Exactly!"_

Toji choose to tune it out, instead focusing only on the little voice inside of his head.

_'You can do it, Toj!'_

And that was all he needed.

Off like a greyhound, he managed to catch NT-Unit-00 somewhat off guard, progressive knife cutting through the undeveloped AT-Field and managing to scrape a bit of the metal.

In reply, NT-Unit-00 kicked Toji square in the chest.

Much to their amusement, however, they were still standing. _"...Heh. Not bad, kid."_ Hiro prodded, over the radio. _"We_ could _forfeit now, I supp-"_

And Toji was on them again. _"Sh-"_

Punting them right back, only this time _they_ weren't prepared for it, flying across the field like a baseball.

_"Note to all pilots, don't antagonise Pilot Suzuhara."_

_"_ I _could've told y'all that."_ Muttered Kensuke.

It was here Toji realised all of this antagonising was rather _deliberate_.

_'As long as you keep your cool, you can do_ anything _.'_ His other reminded.

Toji simply offered an exhausted sigh. "Still gotta learn the _keeping cool_ part, don't I?" With a huff. "Status on target?" He radioed in.

_"How are you two in there?"_ The Subcommander queried, directed towards NT-Unit-00.

He could hear the clicks of NT-Unit-00's butterfly controls and control panels over the radio, followed by a sigh. _"NT-Unit-00 inoperable. I think all the battle wore on it."_

"...So I won?"

_"Indeed."_ Conceded Hiro. _"Congratulations."_

A small and tired titter came out of him, echoed from his other. "Thank the _Gods_."

_'I knew you could do it, Toj.'_ Warmly replied said other, filling his being with a sense of comfort.

"...D'ya know how long we were doing this for?"

_'Ninety minutes, give or take.'_

"...Didn't _feel_ like ninety minutes."

_'Yeah, time tends to do that in battle, I feel.'_

His radio pinged. _"Nice one, Toji!"_ Exclaimed the Commander. _"I see a_ lot _of potential in you."_

"Thanks, Commander."

_"You're probably gonna be saying that a lot."_ She prodded. _"We're shutting down in a minute, settle things between the two of you or you'll get a splitting headache."_

"And how the hell do you know _that_?"

_"Let's just say_ Shinji _wasn't too happy with me for a bit."_

Toji rolled his eyes. "Duly noted." As he turned inward. "Well, I'm sure you heard her."

_'Eeyup.'_ She mused, half disappointed. _'Can't be like this_ forever _, Toj. Not unless you're stuck in an_ Old-Type _.'_

"Even when _you_ got stuck in your Evangelion, that wasn't exactly _forever_."

_'It certainly felt like it_ would _be, at the time. Though... I probably wouldn't have minded. I was with my mama, after all.'_ A brief lull. _'...And I'm sure if_ we _somehow ended up stuck together like that, it wouldn't be so bad.'_

"I could think of _worse_ things to happen to us, I suppose."

His other chuckled. _'...Yeah. Not bad at all, eh?'_ Another brief warmth. _'See you on the flipside.'_

"Sounds like something _I'd_ say."

_'You must be a good_ influence _on me, then.'_

And like that, the pipe broke, and the lights went dark.

The boy allowed himself a few moments to relax in the dark, before he heard murmurings from behind him. "...You alright, back there?"

"Yeah, I'm... good." She slowly got out, noticeably lethargic. "Fucking _tired_ , though."

He couldn't help but laugh at this sudden outburst. "Ain't _that_ uncouth."

"And since when did _you_ care about that sort of thing?"

An audible shrug. "Probably when you started _influencing_ me some?"

They shared a few chuckles at this exchange.

Before Hikari twisted her hand around to the front cabin, quite deliberately _offering_ it to Toji.

He would've been an idiot _not_ to take this hand.

"...Heh. Love ya, Toj."

"Love ya too, Hikari."

~

In the perpetual daylight of the Antarctic, there was a probe that floated unmoving in the eery calm of this red dead ocean.

Small waves began knocking the probe about, as it began to sweep around for the disturbance.

The waves ceased, the probe detecting a drop in ambient temperature as the water surrounding it froze over.

As a computerised probe was wont to do, once the criteria for 'strange things' was met, it begun broadcasting the goings on.

At least until something _destroyed_ the probe.

And kept on walking.

* * *


End file.
